Approximately how far from Earth is the Carina Nebula located within the Milky Way?
Answer
8,500 light-years
The Carina Nebula resides within the Milky Way, positioned at a distance of approximately 8,500 light-years away from Earth. This measurement is crucial as it establishes the nebula as a relatively close feature within the local neighborhood of our galactic disk, allowing for detailed observation by instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope. This distance is significantly less than the distance to the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, which is situated roughly 26,000 light-years away. Being closer means the nebula appears larger and permits astronomers to capture intricate details regarding its stellar nursery processes and energetic outflows.
Related Questions
Approximately how far from Earth is the Carina Nebula located within the Milky Way?How much wider is the Carina Nebula in physical dimensions compared to the Orion Nebula?What type of stellar system is the highly luminous Eta Carinae star?What historical event did the Eta Carinae system undergo in the 1840s that ejected a massive shell of material?What classification is used for the Carina Nebula due to its gas being predominantly ionized hydrogen?What is the name of the dark lane structure visible cutting through the glowing interior of the Carina Nebula?What spectacular, hourglass-shaped structure formed from material ejected during Eta Carinae's 1840s outburst?In terms of stellar output, what type of stars does the Carina complex primarily produce compared to the Orion Nebula?In false-color imagery created by telescopes like Hubble, which emission is typically mapped to the color red?Within which spiral arm of the Milky Way is the Carina Nebula situated, according to observational models?