Stars · Luminous blue variable
Eta Carinae
7,500 light-years · Light crosses it in 19 minutes
- Across
- 333.9 million km
- Vs Earth
- 240× Sun
- Mass
- 100 Suns
Open Eta Carinae in Cosmic Scale
About
Eta Carinae is one of the most massive and luminous stars in our galaxy, about 5 million times brighter than the Sun. In 1843 it erupted and briefly became the second-brightest star in the sky, throwing off the Homunculus Nebula. Its size is uncertain: estimates range from 60 to over 800 Suns across, and the value shown here is a middle one.
In 1843 it briefly became the second-brightest star in the sky.
At a glance
| Distance | 7,500 light-years |
|---|---|
| Mass | About 100 Suns |
| Brightness | About 5 million Suns |
| Great Eruption | 1843 |
Did you know
- It is really two stars; the smaller one orbits every 5.5 years.
- It is expected to explode as a supernova, perhaps within the next hundred thousand years.
- It lives inside the Carina Nebula.
Real photo
- Eta Carinae inside the Homunculus Nebula it threw off in the 1840s, Hubble — NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team · source