So Hubble is now 17 years old and so NASA/ESA have released some incredible pictures take with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) of the Carina Nebula. This nebula contains one of the largest known stars Eta Carinae, which is a highly unpredictable variable with a brightness greater than 4 million suns! It can be see in the far left of this image.

The Carina Nebula is situated an estimated 7 500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina, that lies at the keel of the ship Argo Navis. This fifty light-year-wide view gives us a peek into star formation as it commonly occurs along the dense spiral arms of a galaxy.

Also released was another close up image of a part of the same region showing intricate details of star forming regions, including a massive bipolar jet of heated material. These are just the kind of incredible images that Hubble has always given us, and if SM4 goes ahead as intended Hubble will continue to amaze us as it moves into its third decade.

You can find more pictures and information over on the ESA press release page.