Astronomy Tuesday

Who doesn't enjoy a pretty nebula on a chilly Tuesday?

This is the Carina nebula, located in the constellation of the same name. The Carina constellation contains the second brightest star in the night sky, Canopus, but the star within the nebula, Eta Carinae, is the real scene-stealer. Although it's fairly dim at the moment, it's a variable star worthy of the name and for a time in the nineteenth century it was tied with Sirius for brightest star in the sky.

Image Credit & Copyright: John Ebersole