What does this number measure?
NASA gives about 300 ly for the Carina Nebula. This dimension is far greater than that of its individual pillars; close-up images do not represent the entire region.
Compare the stated dimensions
The comparison uses the number in each fact sheet: altitude, height, diameter, length or distance, depending on the reference. Two values in metres do not necessarily describe the same property.
Source and limitations
Rounded documentary extent. Boundaries are diffuse and depend on the observations and convention used; this is not a distance from Earth.
Original schematic illustration, not a photograph. Shapes, colours and details are interpreted; only the stated dimension is compared.