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A blast wave from the 1843 eruption of η Carinae

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  • Nathan Smith

    (University of California, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, California 94720-3411, USA)

Abstract

Eta Carinae: a blast wave from the past Eta Carinae (η Car), a star that was seen to erupt violently in 1843, is the prototype luminous blue variable (LBV), a type of object formed when very massive stars shed much of their mass en route to their probable destruction in a supernova explosion. The cause of LBV eruptions is unknown. Nathan Smith now reports the observation of extremely fast nuclear-processed material around η Car, faster than any previously seen. This fast material roughly doubles the kinetic energy of the nineteenth-century event, and suggests that the initial explosion released a blast wave now propagating ahead of the massive ejecta. As a result, η Car's outer shell now mimics a low-energy supernova remnant.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathan Smith, 2008. "A blast wave from the 1843 eruption of η Carinae," Nature, Nature, vol. 455(7210), pages 201-203, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:455:y:2008:i:7210:d:10.1038_nature07269
    DOI: 10.1038/nature07269
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