Where is eta carinae

Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. Dimensions The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. About The Data Data Description Proposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.

Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. Instrument The science instrument used to produce the data. Exposure Dates The date s that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. Filters The camera filters that were used in the science observations. Publication Date The date and time the release content became public. Color Info A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

Orientation The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. Back to top. The science team studying the Eta Car light echo was led by A.

Eta Carinae was the site of a giant outburst about years ago, when it became one of the brightest stars in the southern sky. Though the star released as much visible light as a supernova explosion, it survived the outburst. Somehow, the explosion produced two polar lobes and a large thin equatorial disk, all moving outward at about 1.

The new observation shows that excess violet light escapes along the equatorial plane between the bipolar lobes. Apparently there is relatively little dusty debris between the lobes down by the star; most of the blue light is able to escape. The lobes, on the other hand, contain large amounts of dust which preferentially absorb blue light, causing the lobes to appear reddish.

Estimated to be times more massive than our Sun, Eta Carinae may be one of the most massive stars in our Galaxy. It radiates about five million times more power than our Sun. The star remains one of the great mysteries of stellar astronomy, and the new Hubble images raise further puzzles. Eventually, this star's outburst may provide unique clues to other, more modest stellar bipolar explosions and to hydrodynamic flows from stars in general. Position 10h 45m 3.

Object Description The type of astronomical object. Position Right ascension — analogous to longitude — is one component of an object's position. Carina was part of a larger constellation called the Argo Navis — this constellation represented the ship of Jason and the Argonauts.

The constellation was later divided into three lesser constellations: Carina — the keel — Puppis — the stern — and Vela — the sails. The constellation of Carina is in the southern sky, very near to the south celestial pole. Because of this, it never sets for most of the southern hemisphere observers. Since Eta Carinae is quite a rare star, the prediction of its future is quite a difficult task.

Its future evolution is highly uncertain, but the star will certainly continue to lose huge amounts of its mass. The primary star will most likely explode as a supernova at any given time. Some predict it will happen anytime from now to one million years. The Eta Carinae star system is located at around 7. This star system has an extensive history of massive eruptions which propelled it several times in the brightest star charts.

It is one of the most unique stars ever studied. The primary star, Eta Carinae A, is a peculiar star similar to a luminous blue variable which initially had solar masses, but it has already lost more than 30 solar masses.

Eta Carinae A has more than solar masses, its exact mass is difficult to estimate due to eruptions. The same goes for its radius which is estimated at around solar radii. Eta Carinae A is more than 5 million times brighter than our sun and has surface temperatures between 9.

The secondary star, Eta Carinae B, is even more obscure. Most observations point out that it has between 30 to 80 solar masses and a radius between Eta Carinae B is speculated to be 1 million times brighter than our sun. Both stars are enveloped by a cloud of gas and dust known as the Homunculus nebula. The exact age of these stars is hard to determine, but most speculate that they are around 3 million years old.

Thus they are much younger than our sun. Due to eruptions, its visual magnitude has differed across the ages. Formation Both stars appear to be at around 3 million years old.

Other Characteristics The ultraviolet spectrum of the Eta Carinae star system shows many emission lines of ionized metal.

Stellar System Both stars have a semi-major axis of around Location Eta Carinae is located in the constellation of Carina. The Future Since Eta Carinae is quite a rare star, the prediction of its future is quite a difficult task.

Did you know? Eta Carinae is regarded as an impostor supernova. This means that the star actually exploded but this event failed to destroy the star. This resulted in the star being shrouded by a cloud of gas and dust. Eta Carinae will surely go through another supernova event.