Friday, January 09, 2015

Missions Take an Unparalleled Look into Superstar Eta Carinae

You've probably at some point seen a picture of Eta Carinae, because it's so gorgeous.

Eta Carinae

NASA Observatories Take an Unprecedented Look into Superstar Eta Carinae

"Eta Carinae, the most luminous and massive stellar system within 10,000 light-years of Earth, is known for its surprising behavior, erupting twice in the 19th century for reasons scientists still don't understand. A long-term study led by astronomers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, used NASA satellites, ground-based telescopes and theoretical modeling to produce the most comprehensive picture of Eta Carinae to date. New findings include Hubble Space Telescope images that show decade-old shells of ionized gas racing away from the largest star at a million miles an hour, and new 3-D models that reveal never-before-seen features of the stars' interactions."

Here's a great 4 minute video:

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