Lying 7,500 light years from Earth, the Carina
Nebula buzzes with activity. Countless stars are being born among the
glowing clouds of dust and gas and, over several million years, this
nebula – which was named after the keel of the mythical ship Argo – has
created some of the most massive stars known to astronomers.
The nebula is one of the largest diffuse nebulae in our skies. Although
it is some four times as large and even brighter than the famous Orion
Nebula, the Carina Nebula is much less well known, due to its location
far in the Southern Hemisphere. It was discovered by Nicolas Louis de
Lacaille in 1751–52 from the Cape of Good Hope.
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