The Karina Nebula, located about 7600 light-years away, is known as a star factory. Telescopes, such as NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, study such nebulae, providing important information about star formation processes.

Nebulae are made up of clouds of dust and gas and can be pulled together into clusters by gravity. Over time, these clusters collapse under the influence of gravity, heating the material at their centre and initiating the formation of new stars. The process of star birth is intense and impressive, opening gaps between clouds and eroding giant columns of gas, producing intense ultraviolet radiation. But it also produces some spectacular and dramatic sights.

In addition to baby stars, the Carina Nebula also contains many giant stars much larger than the mass of the Sun. One of these giant stars is Eta Carinae.

In the image, swirling clouds of gas and dust appear in blue, green and yellow hues. Red stars are scattered throughout and can even be seen in a V-shaped band between the clouds, which is more prominent in the darkness of space.