NGC 3372. ETA CARINAE NEBULA. A WIDE FIELD

Click here for full resolution image NGC 3372, better known and referred to as the Eta Carina Nebula, is one of the most iconic objects in the Southern Hemisphere (if not of the whole sky). The star Eta carina itself (class B0), located in the center of the nebula, is a giant variable blue star (6.2-11.1) and is surrounded by the Homunculus Nebula (too small to be imaged except for the largest telescopes, I captured an image of it with the CDK 20″ that can be found here). NGC 3372 is a bright (visible with the naked eye) and very large nebula. It is one of the largest HII regions in the Milky Way and four times as large as the better known Orion Nebula (M42). The small region surrounding Eta Carina is commonly named the Keyhole Nebula.