NGC 3199 - The Banana Nebula

This is an mage of NGC 3199. It is an emission nebula about 12,000 light years away in the constellation Carina. The nebula is the result of a Wolf-Rayet star WR 18. The bow shock pictured here was thought to be the result of WR-18 plowing through the interstellar gas and dust. However, it is now believed to be due to the non-uniform structure of the nebula with denser gas near the bow shock than the other parts of the nebula.