Below is the famous Hubble image of the star Eta Carinae itself:
And below is the Chandra X-ray image of Eta.
Eta Carinae
Southern observers - watch this star!
| Right Ascension | 10 : 45.1 (h : m) |
|---|---|
| Declination | -59 : 41 (deg : m) |
| Distance | 10.0 (kly) |
| Visual Brightness | 6.21 (mag) [-0.8 .. 7.9, var] |
| Apparent Dimension | ?? (arc min) |
The vast majority of observers in the USA are too far north to see Eta Car. If you are at the latitude of Miami Florida, look for its associated nebula about 4 degrees above the southern horizon at midnight in early March. In Hawaii, that increases to 9 degrees.
Eta Carinae seems to be unique in another fashion - its nebulae seem to be focusing UV radiation as natural lasers! Below is an artist's concept of the phenomenon (dandy wallpaper!)
If you want to keep up on Eta Carinae's latest outbursts and other assorted antics, you can bookmark THIS PAGE. Be advised that the language is rarified/technical.
