Nebula Carina VII Panorama illustrates a spiral galaxy's grand

illustrates a spiral galaxy's grand design

The image shows a major eruption in progress on Io's night side

The fireworks in the Carina region started three million years ago when the nebula's first generation of newborn stars condensed and ignited in the middle of a huge cloud of cold molecular hydrogen

Strong gravitational forces from the interaction created the long tail of debris

it offers an opportunity to study phenomena that are difficult to examine in more distant galaxies

Nebula Carina VII Panorama illustrates a spiral galaxy's grandA Bok globule nicknamed the "caterpillar" appears at the right. Its glowing edge indicates that it is being photoionized by the hottest stars in the cluster. It has been hypothesized that stars may form inside such dusty cocoons. The top of the Keyhole Nebula, the most prominent feature embedded inside Carina, is on the left. Another Bok globule is in the foreground. Credit for Hubble Image: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley),