Image Source The Homunculus Nebula, surrounding Eta Carinae
Credit: Jon Morse (University of Colorado) & NASA Hubble Space Telescope

Eta Carinae was previously known as Eta Argus. It is a star system containing at least two stars whose combined luminosity is greater than 5 million times that of our Sun. It is located 7,500 light-years away in the constellation of Carina. It is circumpolar south of latitude 30°S, hence it is never visible north of latitude 30°N.

Eta Carinae previously was a 4th magnitude star. The first Great Eruption occurred in 1837 when it became brighter than Rigel (it is the 7th brightest star in the night sky). Between Mar 11-14, 1843 it became the 2nd brightest star in the sky, and gradually faded below naked-eye visibility after 1856. Again in 1892, a smaller eruption occurred when it reached 6th magnitude before fading again. From 1940 to 2014, Eta Carinae is brightening consistently and became brighter than magnitude 4.5. The materials ejected during the Great Eruption resulted in the Homunculus Nebula, which makes the system highly obscured.

The two main stars of the stellar system of Eta Carinae have an eccentric orbit with a period of 5.54 years. The primary star had an initial Solar Mass (mass equal to that of Sun, represented as M_☉) of 150–250 M_☉, it has already lost 30 M_☉and is expected to explode as a supernova in the near future. It is the only star in the system to produce ultraviolet laser emission. The secondary star has a mass of 30-80 M_☉ and is hot and highly luminous.

Source: Wikipedia

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