Nebula Carina VII Panorama The fireworks in the Carina

The fireworks in the Carina region started three million years ago when the nebula's first generation of newborn stars condensed and ignited in the middle of a huge cloud of cold molecular hydrogen

Strong gravitational forces from the interaction created the long tail of debris

Image Credit: NASA/JPL

Across the expanse of Saturn's rings

Nebula Carina VII Panorama The fireworks in the CarinaA Bok globule nicknamed the "caterpillar" appears at the right. Its glowing edge indicates that it is being photoionized by the hottest stars in the cluster. It has been hypothesized that stars may form inside such dusty cocoons. The top of the Keyhole Nebula, the most prominent feature embedded inside Carina, is on the left. Another Bok globule is in the foreground. Credit for Hubble Image: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley),