These photos are mind-blowing — Hubble telescope pics of “extreme star birth” in the Carina Nebula. The Euro Hubble site has a gallery of (one of) the largest panoramic photos ever taken with the Hubble, just released for the telescope’s 17th anniversary. Snip:
One of the largest panoramic images ever taken with Hubble’s cameras has been released to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the launch and deployment of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The image shows a 50 light-year-wide view of the tumultuous central region of the Carina Nebula where a maelstrom of star birth – and death – is taking place.
Hubble’s new view of the Carina Nebula shows the process of star birth at a new level of detail. The bizarre landscape of the nebula is sculpted by the action of outflowing winds and scorching ultraviolet radiation from the monster stars that inhabit this inferno. These stars are shredding the surrounding material that is the last vestige of the giant cloud from which the stars were born.
Link.