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AG Carinae: A Luminous Blue Variable Star

This visualization starts with a wide-field view of the Carina constellation and zooms down to the Hubble Space Telescope view of the massive star, AG Carinae. One of the brightest stars in our galaxy, AG Carinae undergoes eruptions that have ejected a small nebula of gas and dust.

The sequence then transitions from the 2D Hubble image to a 3D model that shows the structure of the surrounding nebula. The 3D model is based on Hubble images and spectroscopic data of the nebula's motion. The emission from ionized gas glows red, while the dust reflects the light of the star and appears bluish-white.

Music: "Luminous Beings" by Joseph DePasquale (STScI), CC BY 4.0

  • Release Date
    April 23, 2021
  • Science Release
    Hubble Captures Giant Star on the Edge of Destruction
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, STScI, Leah Hustak (STScI), Frank Summers (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Gregory Bacon (STScI)

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Zoom to AG Carinae

This visualization starts with a wide-view of the Carina constellation and zooms down to the Hubble Space Telescope view of the massive star, AG Carinae. One of the brightest stars in our galaxy, AG Carinae undergoes eruptions that have ejected a small nebula of gas and dust....

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 11, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Music Credit

Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

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