Eta Carinae
Eta Carinae. Its about four million (4,000,000) times brighter than our sun and is one the most massive stars ever discovered.
A hypergiant star in the Carina Constellation. A hypergiant is a very bright star with a huge mass and is losing mass at a high rate. Very large and bright stars like Eta Carinae burn up very quickly compared to smaller stars. So it is expected to explode, supernova, very soon; astronomically speaking.
A supernova is a huge, stellar explosion of an entire star. They are very bright and can create light that will briefly outshine an entire galaxy. During a supernova, the star can emit more energy than our sun could in its entire lifespan! It spreads chemical elements throughout the galaxy, while the shock wave from the explosion can cause the formation of new stars.
Supernovae occur about once every fifty years in a galaxy the size of ours, the Milky Way.
January 31, 2009 at 9:15 am
[...] its all said and done, supernova explosions from huge stars in this region will disperse all of the gases visible now, leaving [...]
January 31, 2009 at 9:15 am
[...] Great Space « Rocky Outcrop Eta Carinae [...]