Gum 33
Also called
RCW 53Coordinates: (287.61°, -0.85°)
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The Carina nebula, NGC 3372, is ionised by star clusters belonging to the massive Car OB1 association, which includes some of the brightest known stars in the Milky Way: 20 O-stars, 4 ionising B-stars the Wolf-Rayet star WR 25 and the massive and very strange variable star Eta Carinae.
The Car OB1 member HD 93129A is perhaps the brightest known star in the Milky Way and has been put into its own O2 class.
Kharchenko identifies about a dozen ionising clusters in this direction. Nine of these have distance estimates ranging from about 2000 to 3000 parsecs: Trumpler 14, Trumpler 15, Trumpler 16, Bochum 10, Collinder 228, NGC 3324, NGC 3293, Loden 153 and [KPR2005] 62. Distances are controversial, however, even for such a well-studied region. For example, a 2004 paper argues that Trumpler 16 is a background object at 4000 parsecs.
The Hubble space telescope has produced a huge panorama of the Carina nebula.
The Car OB1 member HD 93129A is perhaps the brightest known star in the Milky Way and has been put into its own O2 class.
Kharchenko identifies about a dozen ionising clusters in this direction. Nine of these have distance estimates ranging from about 2000 to 3000 parsecs: Trumpler 14, Trumpler 15, Trumpler 16, Bochum 10, Collinder 228, NGC 3324, NGC 3293, Loden 153 and [KPR2005] 62. Distances are controversial, however, even for such a well-studied region. For example, a 2004 paper argues that Trumpler 16 is a background object at 4000 parsecs.
The Hubble space telescope has produced a huge panorama of the Carina nebula.
HD 93129A is the brightest known star in the Milky Way and has been put into its own O2 class.[1]
Identifies 20 O-stars, 4 ionising B-stars and a Wolf-Rayet star (WR 25).[2]
There is some controversy over the distance to the star cluster Trumpler 16, which lies in the same direction as Car OB1. A 2012 distance argues that both Trumpler 14 and Trumpler lie at the same distance [3] whereas a 2004 paper provides slightly different distance estimates of 2500 pc for Trumpler 14 and RCW 53, as well as a much greater distance of 4000 pc for Trumpler 16. [4]
Identifies 20 O-stars, 4 ionising B-stars and a Wolf-Rayet star (WR 25).[2]
There is some controversy over the distance to the star cluster Trumpler 16, which lies in the same direction as Car OB1. A 2012 distance argues that both Trumpler 14 and Trumpler lie at the same distance [3] whereas a 2004 paper provides slightly different distance estimates of 2500 pc for Trumpler 14 and RCW 53, as well as a much greater distance of 4000 pc for Trumpler 16. [4]
Notes
1. ^ Benaglia, P. & Koribalski, B. (2004). "Radio observations of HD 93129A: The earliest O star with the highest mass loss?", Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 416, 171-178. [2004A&A...416..171B]
2. ^ Antokhin, I. I., Rauw, G., Vreux, J.-M., et al. (2008). "XMM-Newton X-ray study of early type stars in the Carina OB1 association", Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 477, 593-609. [2008A&A...477..593A]
3. ^ Hur, Hyeonoh, Sung, Hwankyung, & Bessell, Michael S. (2012). "Distance and the Initial Mass Function of Young Open Clusters in the η Carina Nebula: Tr 14 and Tr 16", The Astronomical Journal, Vol. 143, 41. [2012AJ....143...41H]
4. ^ Carraro, G., Romaniello, M., Ventura, P., et al. (2004). "The star cluster Collinder 232 in the Carina complex and its relation to Trumpler 14/16", Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 418, 525-537. [2004A&A...418..525C]
Distance estimates
2700 pc [2004RMxAC..22...73T]Links
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Most of the sources used to create these nebula descriptions are listed in the
notes section for each description. In some cases,
for example the Avedisova, Humphreys and Reed catalogs, the source is used extensively and is not listed in the
individual nebula descriptions. See this catalog overview
for more information on the catalogs and the general sources used
to create these descriptions and this introduction to HII regions
on the general history of this area of astronomy.
This image was created using the POSS-II/UKSTU data of the Digitized Sky Survey and SuperCOSMOS using the process described here.
According to my correspondence with the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and the Space Telescope Science Institute, I am allowed to use the POSS-II/UKSTU data to create and display images for non-commercial purposes so long as I include this fine print for the SuperCOSMOS data:
Use of these images is courtesy of the UK Schmidt Telescope (copyright in which is owned by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council of the UK and the Anglo-Australian Telescope Board) and the Southern Sky Survey as created by the SuperCOSMOS measuring machine and are reproduced here with permission from the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.
and this acknowledgement taken from the DSS site:
The Digitized Sky Surveys were produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute under U.S. Government grant NAG W-2166. The images of these surveys are based on photographic data obtained using the Oschin Schmidt Telescope on Palomar Mountain and the UK Schmidt Telescope. The plates were processed into the present compressed digital form with the permission of these institutions.
The Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-II) was made by the California Institute of Technology with funds from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Sloan Foundation, the Samuel Oschin Foundation, and the Eastman Kodak Corporation.
The UK Schmidt Telescope was operated by the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, with funding from the UK Science and Engineering Research Council (later the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council), until 1988 June, and thereafter by the Anglo-Australian Observatory. The blue plates of the southern Sky Atlas and its Equatorial Extension (together known as the SERC-J), as well as the Equatorial Red (ER), and the Second Epoch [red] Survey (SES) were all taken with the UK Schmidt.
The "Second Epoch Survey" of the southern sky was made by the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) with the UK Schmidt Telescope. Plates from this survey have been digitized and compressed by the ST ScI. The digitized images are copyright ? 1993-5 by the Anglo-Australian Observatory Board, and are distributed herein by agreement.
The "Equatorial Red Atlas" of the southern sky was made with the UK Schmidt Telescope. Plates from this survey have been digitized and compressed by the ST ScI. The digitized images are copyright ? 1992-5, jointly by the UK SERC/PPARC (Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, formerly Science and Engineering Research Council) and the Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, and are distributed herein by agreement.
The compressed files of the "Palomar Observatory - Space Telescope Science Institute Digital Sky Survey" of the northern sky, based on scans of the Second Palomar Sky Survey are copyright ? 1993-1995 by the California Institute of Technology and are distributed herein by agreement. The compressed files of the "Palomar Observatory - Space Telescope Science Institute Digital Sky Survey" of the northern sky, based on scans of the Second Palomar Sky Survey are copyright ? 1993-1995 by the California Institute of Technology and are distributed herein by agreement.