Eta Carinae

From Slackerpedia Galactica

Eta Carinae is perhaps the weirdest star known to science. Its mass range from 100–150 times the mass of the Sun, and its luminosity is about four million times that of the Sun. It is likely a binary star with the secondary also being a massive star.

This puppy could blow at any time. It is too massive to survive very long and its life will end with a violent explosion -- a Supernova. It has already had several dramatic outbursts in the last 200 years, creating the famous bipolar nebula pictured at right.

Eta Carinae was discovered by Edmond Halley.

External Links

• Eta Carinae at Wikipedia
• The HST Treasury Program on Eta Carinae