The Eta Carina Archive (of really old embarassing images)

The Eta Carina region is a rich part of the sky which because of its southern latitude isn't so well heard of but it is deserving of the closest observation and study.  At the centre of the nebula is the unusual star that gives the nebula its name, Eta Carina.   The star's brightness has varied wildly over the few centuries that it has been studied.  In 1843 it was the second brightest star in the sky.  In the early 1900s it was invisible, but since then it has slowly increased in brightness and is visible again.

The last time it brightened significantly was in 1989.  The star appears to hiccup at irregular intervals without actually blowing itself apart in a supernova.  The last time this happened was in 1843 when it ejected huge quantities of material in a massive explosion.   By ejecting these huge amounts of material and energy into the surrounding space it is creating nebulosity in its general area.  Eta Carina is possibly the brightest star and most massive star in our entire galaxy.  Its  mass is 100 times that of our sun.  Its luminosity more brilliant by 4 million times.   Its diameter is the same as our entire solar system.

In the centre of the Eta Carina nebula (NGC 3532) is the Keyhole nebula (NGC 3324).  In the right light it really looks like a keyhole.  A nebula within a nebula.  This is where the star itself is located, together with several of the most massive and energetic suns known to science.

Eta Carina is situated in a bright part of the Milky Way, so viewing it through a telescope or photographing it yields not just a nice picture of its nebulosity but also of one of the richest Milky Way star fields as well.  Only the Sagittarius starfield, I believe, is more densely packed with little stars.

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