Space and Astronomy Atlas

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Celestial Objects

Eta Carinae

Massive Star System

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Eta Carinae is a stellar system containing at least two stars with a combined luminosity more than five million times that of the Sun, located around 7,500 light-years away in the constellation Carina. Previously a faint star, it brightened dramatically in 1837 in its so-called Great Eruption, briefly becoming the second-brightest star in the night sky in 1843.

Facts
Object Type
Stellar system (luminous blue variable candidate) 1
Mass
approximately 100 M(sun) (primary star, eta Car A) 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationEta Carinae, lead section
Quote, Eta Carinae, lead section
a stellar system containing at least two stars
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationEta Carinae, infobox (Mass, eta Car A)
Quote, Eta Carinae, infobox (Mass, eta Car A)
~100 M(sun)
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationIn Category: Celestial Objects, Eta Carinae, Wikipedia summary
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