Keyhole Nebula

See a nice description below by Sakib Rasool

Data from El Sauce, Chile 17” Planewave CDK

LRGB - 160 Min each, HA - 240min, O3 - 240min, S2 - 240min.

Full Resolution is a must see. Click on image.

Eta Carinae and Homunculus Nebula

A huge yellow star, this is the closest massive star system at 7500 light years away. It is actually a binary star consisting of two massive stars orbiting each other and producing interacting stellar winds. The primary is an example of a luminous blue variable and the secondary is O-type. What this star is most famous for is an explosive outburst known colloquially as the Great Eruption, which occurred in the 1840's and was the second brightest star in the sky in 1847. The outburst expelled so much gas and dust that it formed two bipolar lobes known as the Homunculus Nebula. The name is derived from Latin, which means "little man" due to its appearance. Eta Carinae is predicted to explode in a supernova sometime in the future.

Trumpler 14:
This is one of a small number of clusters nestled within the contours of the Eta Carinae Nebula. It is highly luminous with a large number of O-type stars. Due to the intense star formation in this region, the environment contains some exotic denizens of the Milky Way. The brightest member is HD 93129, which is a rare example of a trinary, a triple star system! The presence of multiple hot young stars hints at its very young age somewhere in the range of 300-500,000 years. This is one of 37 clusters that were catalogued by the astronomer Robert Julius Trumpler in 1930.

Globules in NGC 3372:
Interaction between interstellar winds and molecular gas in dynamic starforming environments can lead to the formation of dark globules and larger "elephant trunk" type structures. Analysis of Hubble images have identified nearly 300 of these dark obscuring features in the Eta Carinae Nebula. Some of them have a distinctive shape, which lend themselves to fanciful names. The interplay between different gaseous elements can be seen visually in globules with bright rims that face either bright luminous stars or clusters. Despite the harsh environment they are located in, they can have a lifespan of about 10,000 years until they might be evaporated by UV radiation.

Mystic Mountain:
A whimsical name given to one of many prominent dust pillar formations that has been sculpted by UV radiation emanating from young stars. The structure spans 3 light years and is one of the very few known regions of NGC 3372 that are known to harbour Herbig Haro objects, energetic jets from young stars. The ones in this particular area are catalogued as HH 901 and HH 902.