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Eta Carinae: 2D Images to 3D Models
This visualization showcases the multiwavelength emissions and three-dimensional structures surrounding Eta Carinae, one of the most massive and eruptive stars in our galaxy.
Two of NASA's Great Observatories, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, have observed Eta Carinae using visible, ultraviolet, and X-ray light, as well as in the Hydrogen alpha emission line. These 2D portraits have been modeled by astronomers and artists to create a 3D visualization that brings the telescope images to life.
The sequence presents the layered model one wavelength region at a time, and builds up the complex nested structure. The viewer gets a full 360-degree view and can assemble a complete mental model that aids interpretation of the NASA observations.
Music: Sleepy Frieda, Maarten Schellekens, CC BY-NC 4.0.
- Release DateJanuary 25, 2022
- Science ReleaseVisualization Explores a Massive Star’s Great Eruption
- CreditsNASA, ESA, STScI, CXC, Jon Morse (BoldlyGo Institute), Nathan Smith (University of Arizona)
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Eta Carinae: The Great Eruption of a Massive Star
Eta Carinae, or Eta Car, is famous for a brilliant and unusual outburst, called the "Great Eruption," observed in the 1840s. This visualization presents the story of that event and examines the resulting multiwavelength emissions and three-dimensional structures surrounding Eta...
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
NASA, ESA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI), Dani Player (STScI), Leah Hustak (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Gregory Bacon (STScI), Frank Summers (STScI)
Maarten Schellekens
