Eta Carina
Eta Carinae as imaged with the Near Infrared Coronagraphic Imager (NICI). In this image the bipolar lobes of the Homunculus Nebula are visible with the never-before imaged Little Homunculus Nebula visible as a faint blue glow, mostly in the lower lobe. The central star system appears as a dark spot due to the coronagraphic blocking (occulting) disk used to eliminate the stars bright glare.
| Observatory: | Gemini Observatory (South) Cerro Pachon, Chile |
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| Telescope: | Gemini South |
| Instrument: | GMOS-S |
| Astronomer: | J.C. Martin (University of Illinois Springfield) et. al., Gemini Observatory and T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) |
| Date of Observation: | 02-11-2009 |
| Filters and Assigned Colors: | [FeII] [1.644 microns] (blue), H2 2-1 S(1) [2.2465 micron narrowband] (green), and bracket gamma[2.1686 micron narrowband] (red) |
| Exposure Times: | 60x5.7sec in each filter |
| Location of Image: | Carina |
| Field of View: | 16.0 x 15.4 arcseconds |
| Orientation: | North is up, east is to the left |
| Link to Larger Image | |
| Link to Full Resolution Image | |
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