Carina Nebula: 17th Anniversary Hubble Image Release

Just when you thought Hubble was down for the count (and it is, still, sadly) – scientists celebrate the 17th anniversary of the telescope’s launch and deployment with one of the largest panoramic images ever taken using the HST’s cameras. The above images are snapshots from a massive (read: 29566x14321 pixels) image spanning 50 light-years across, of a region in the Carina Nebula where, as the press release says, “a maelstrom of star birth – and death – is taking place”. The image can be downloaded in a variety of formats and sizes from HubbleSite.

Also available is a high quality flythrough video that zooms in from a spot where the Carina image is nothing more than a pixel to a full-on view, for perspective into its relative location.

ARTICLE [release] IMAGES [all images] IMAGE [full-res image] VIDEO [flythrough]

Previously: From Whence We Came