ESA Science & Technology - Ground Based View of the Carina Nebula

This image shows a ground-based view of the giant star-forming region in the southern sky known as the Carina Nebula, combining the light from three different filters tracing emission from oxygen (blue), hydrogen (green), and sulphur (red). The colour is also representative of the temperature in the ionised gas: blue is relatively hot and red is cooler.

The Carina Nebula is a good example of how very massive stars rip apart the molecular clouds that give birth to them. The bright star near the centre of the image is eta Carinae, one of the most massive and luminous stars known.