science

NASA's Hubble Telescope snaps the 'biggest fireworks' in the Eta Carinae star system


Eta Carinae could erupt tomorrow or it could erupt one million years from now.

Astronomers estimate the star weighs about 100 times more than our Sun, which means the future eruption could go supernova.

NASA said this may have even already happened but the light from the supernova has not reached us yet due to being 44,089,690,000,000,000 miles away.

When viewed by Hubble in bands of ultraviolet light, Eta Carinae looks like two balloons expanding from a single point.

The blue clouds of light surrounding the “balloons” are clouds of warm gas rich in magnesium.

The red clouds further out are “shock-heated nitrogen-rich filaments”.



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