The Carina Nebula

A montage of four April 1999 telescope pointings with six color filters produced this revealing image of the "Keyhole Nebula." The circular structure contains bright filaments of hot, fluorescing gas, and dark silhouetted clouds of cold molecules and dust-all in rapid chaotic motion. Some small dark globules in the image may be collapsing to form new stars. Located about 8,000 light-years from Earth in the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), the "Keyhole" was named in the 19th century.

Photo by NASA, the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI).