At first I thought about calling this image ‘Seeing Stars’ but considering the significance of the fabulous Eta Carinae Nebula I felt compelled to give it the attention it deserves.

This tiny piece of the night sky in the Milky Way is only a few widths of the moon across and yet even in this images there are over 10,000 visible stars. In fact the massive star density here somewhat detracts from the stunning beauty of the Eta Carinae Nebula 10,000 light years away.

In the center of the brightest cloud is a giant binary pair of stars called Eta Carinae. Together the pair is around 120 more massive than our sun and shine 5,000,000 times brighter! The two stars circle each other in a deep elliptical orbit every 5.5 years and at their closest are as close together as Mars is from our sun resulting in regular extraordinary interactions.

If you are curious this little NASA video might just wet your appetite for more. NASA Missions Take an Unparalleled Look into Superstar Eta Carinae https://youtu.be/0rJQi6oaZf0

Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Eta Carinae’ 30s f/2.8 ISO1600 200mm