NGC 3199

NGC 3199[2][1][3] is an emission nebula in the constellation Carina.

It is commonly known as the Banana Nebula[4] or Carina's Smile.

[5] The object was discovered in 1826 by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop.

[6] It was thought to be the bow shock around the central star, WR 18, an especially hot and luminous Wolf–Rayet star; however, it was determined that the nebula formed due to the composition of local space, not because of the star's movement.

This nebula-related article is a stub.