The Eta Carinae star system has a front row seat to a starburst that continues to expand at speeds of up to 4.5 million miles per hour (7.2 million kilometres per hour).

The "Big Bang" seen on Earth in the 19th century produced a dense pair of spherical clouds on opposite sides of the system's two stars. These clouds are now called the Homunculus Nebula.

This composite image and new video reveal important clues about the variable history of Eta Carinae. This includes the rapid expansion of the ring and a previously unknown faint X-ray shell outside the ring.

The Homunculus Nebula is clearly visible in this composite image. NASAChandraXray data are shown in orange, while optical light data from @NASAHubble are shown in blue, purple and white. The outburst is shaped like an hourglass or peanut shell with bulging tips and a narrow centre. The shell is a translucent mauve colour streaked with purple veins. Inside, in the narrow centre, a bright white light shines brightly. This is in the same direction as the orange gas ring. This suggests that both structures have the same origin: the "Big Bang" observed about 180 years ago.

This time-lapse sequence of Chandra X-ray observations begins with an image from 1999. Here, a hazy, neon blue ball with a bright white core is surrounded by a patchy, rectangular, orange ring. The blue and white ball shows X-rays from two massive stars with masses 30 and 90 times that of our sun. These stars are too close together to be seen individually. The rectangular ring of orange gas surrounding them is tilted and extends towards our upper right and lower left.