These two images of the nebulus region around Eta Carina were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in October 1996 by Dr. R.J. Dufour . The blue is doubly ionized oxygen gas in the surrounding region.
Mature stars appear white with purple edges.
When intense starlight shines on surrounding gas clouds, the clouds are ionized and evaporated. Especially dense regions of the clouds may remain, which are the eggs shown in the previous picture. Star formation may take place within these eggs, providing enough gas was left behind. This process is thought to limit the size many stars will become, since material that may have otherwise contributed to their construction is swept away. This image, from a region nearby the one above, shows molecular hydrogen clouds which have yet to evaporate.