Hubble Celebrates its 31st anniversary with a magnificent view of AG Carinae
In celebration of the 31st anniversary of the launch of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers aimed the celebrated observatory at one of the brightest stars seen in our galaxy to capture its beauty.
The giant star featured in this latest Hubble Space Telescope anniversary image is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self-destruction. The star, called AG Carinae, is surrounded by an expanding shell of gas and dust. The nebula is about five light-years wide, which equals the distance from here to our nearest star, Alpha Centauri.
Credit:NASA, ESA and STScI
About the Image
| Id: | heic2105a |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 23 April 2021, 15:00 |
| Related releases: | heic2105 |
| Size: | 3687 x 2276 px |
About the Object
| Name: | AG Carinae, V* AG Car |
| Type: | Milky Way : Star : Type : Wolf-Rayet |
| Distance: | 15000 light years |
| Constellation: | Carina |
| Category: | Anniversary Stars |
Wallpapers
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 10 56 11.56 |
| Position (Dec): | -60° 27' 12.83" |
| Field of view: | 2.44 x 1.50 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 49.9° left of vertical |
View in ESASky:
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Ultraviolet UV | 275 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
| Optical Strömgren y | 547 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
| Optical H-alpha + NII | 657 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |
| Optical i | 845 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3 |