Tag Archives: Eta Carinae

Eta Carinae (η Carinae or η Car) is a stellar system in the constellation Carina, about 7,500 to 8,000 light-years from the Sun. The system contains at least two stars, one of which is a Wolf-Rayet star. Its combined luminosity is about four million times that of the Sun and has an estimated system mass in excess of 100 solar masses. It is not visible north of latitude 30°N and is circumpolar south of latitude 30°S. Because of its mass and the stage of life, it is expected to explode in a supernova in the astronomically near future.
Eta Carinae has the traditional names Tseen She (from the Chinese 天社 [Mandarin: tiānshè] „Heaven’s altar“) and Foramen.
In Chinese, 海山 (Hǎi Shān), meaning Sea and Mountain, refers to an asterism consisting of η Carinae, s Carinae, λ Centauri and λ Muscae. Consequently, η Carinae itself is known as 海山二 (Hǎi Shān èr, English: the Second Star of Sea and Mountain.)
This stellar system is currently one of the most massive that can be studied in great detail….