• Key Information

  • Eta Carinae

  • Type
    Star System (binary)
  • Diameter
    51,874,560 to 761,691,456 miles (a), 12,363,436 to 20,403,992 miles (b)
  • Mass
    100 suns (a), 30 to 80 suns (b)
  • Distance
    Around 7,500 light years
  • Temperature
    16,460 to 62,900 °F (a), 66,500 °F (b)
  • Star Type
    LBV - Wolf-Rayet Star (a), O(?) (b)
  • Date of Discovery
    17th century
  • Other Names
    Foramen, Tseen She, 231 G Carinae, HR 4210, HD 93308
  • Learning Point
  • Eta Carinae is a binary star system, with a massive, very bright star, one of the most luminous (brightest) in the galaxy. It is known for a nebula that has formed around it after a violent eruption in the 19th century.
  • Project
  • Draw a picture of Eta Carinae and its nebula.
  • Location
  • Located in
    Carina, Milky Way
  • Fun Facts
  • The combined stars of Eta Carinae are so powerful and bright, that they might be as much as 5 million times or more the brightness of our Sun.
  • The primary star is the only star known to produce ultraviolet laster emissions.
  • The nebula surrounding the star, called the Homunculus Nebula, is the material that was ejected by the main star during the Great Eruption in 1837.