Nebula NGC 3603



Nebula NGC 3603 is a glowing cloud of gas, dust, and 
stars some 20,000 light years distant toward the 
constellation Carina. Nebula NGC 3603 is an active site 
of star formation. Strong stellar winds and ultraviolet 
radiation from the cluster of hot, blue stars toward the 
upper right corner of the image have cleared away 
material in this region. The star Sher 25 (which is 
visible as the bright blue star in the upper right 
corner of the image) is surrounded by an 
hourglass-shaped nebula similar to the nebula that 
surrounds supernova 1987A. This may indicate that Sher 
25 will become a supernova within a few thousand years. 
The portion of nebula NGC 3603 shown here is about 30 
light years across.