Flight to Great Eruption of Massive Star AG Carinae | STScI

Flight to Great Eruption of Massive Star AG Carinae | STScI

This visualization starts with the Hubble Space Telescope view of the massive star, AG Carinae. One of the brightest stars in our galaxy, AG Carinae undergoes eruptions that have ejected a small nebula of gas and dust. The sequence flies into a 3D model that shows the structure of the surrounding nebula. The 3D model is based upon Hubble images and spectroscopic data of the nebula's motion. The emission from ionized gas glows red, while the dust reflects the light of the star and appears bluish-white.

AG Carinae (AG Car) is a star in the constellation of Carina. It is classified as a luminous blue variable (LBV). The great distance (20,000 light-years) and intervening dust mean that the star is not usually visible to the naked eye; its apparent brightness varies erratically between magnitude 5.7 and 9.0.

Video Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Visualization:  NASA, ESA, STScI, L. Hustak, F. Summers, A. Pagan, J. DePasquale, and G. Bacon (STScI)
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Oct. 16, 2025

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