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WFPC2 Image of the Variable Star Eta Carinae

Jan. 6, 2016
The discovery of likely Eta Carinae 'twins' in other galaxies will help scientists better understand this brief phase in the life of a massive star with images such as this from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Astronomers cannot yet explain what caused the titanic eruption of star Eta Carinae in the 1840s. The discovery of likely Eta Carinae "twins" in other galaxies will help scientists better understand this brief phase in the life of a massive star.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington.

For images and more information about Hubble, visit http://www.nasa.gov/hubble.

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