An Ill-Fated Powerhouse: Eta Carinae | Space Wallpaper

By Space.com Staff
published

An Ill-Fated Powerhouse: Eta Carinae
This star, with a mass of 100 times that of Earth's Sun, could explode into a supernova. (Image credit: J. Morse (Arizona State U.), K. Davidson (U. Minnesota) et al., WFPC2, HST, NASA)

Eta Carinae is one of the brightest stars in the southern sky. Records show that around 150 years ago the star underwent some event that gave it this name. Experts believe this star is a good candidate to turn into a full blown supernova. This image, captured in 1996, shed new light on the star and the nebula around it. [See more Hubble images.]

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.