The Carina nebula (NGC 3372 or the Great Nebula in Carina, the Eta Carina nebula) is a large, bright nebula. It is around 7,500 light years from Earth and has over 14,000 stars. It appears in the constellation of Carina in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way. The Carina nebula was discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1751 from the Cape of Good Hope. The French astronomer had made an astronomical expedition to record objects in the southern sky.