An unusual brightening of Eta Carinae

Kris Davidson; Theodore R. Gull; Roberta M. Humphreys; Kazunori Ishibashi; Patricia Whitelock; Leonid Berdnikov; Peter J. Mcgregor; Travis S. Metcalfe; Elisha Polomski; Mario Hamuy

doi:10.1086/301063

An unusual brightening of Eta Carinae

Kris Davidson^*, Theodore R. Gull, Roberta M. Humphreys, Kazunori Ishibashi, Patricia Whitelock, Leonid Berdnikov, Peter J. Mcgregor, Travis S. Metcalfe, Elisha Polomski, Mario Hamuy

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph data show that the apparent near-UV, visual-wavelength, and near-IR brightness of η Car increased by a factor of two during 1998. Meanwhile its Homunculus ejecta nebula brightened by about 30%, the largest fluctuation of this type in the past 40 years. These developments were quite unexpected and are not easy to explain. Some dust has probably been destroyed, while the star's luminosity may have increased even though it was already close to the Eddington limit. Such a rapid luminosity change would be a truly remarkable phenomenon, not predicted by existing models.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1777-1783
Number of pages	7
Journal	Astronomical Journal
Volume	118
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/301063
Publication status	Published - Oct 1999
Externally published	Yes

Access to Document

10.1086/301063

Cite this

@article{b697b42798694cb7ab748dc33d9dd751,

title = "An unusual brightening of Eta Carinae",

abstract = "HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph data show that the apparent near-UV, visual-wavelength, and near-IR brightness of η Car increased by a factor of two during 1998. Meanwhile its Homunculus ejecta nebula brightened by about 30%, the largest fluctuation of this type in the past 40 years. These developments were quite unexpected and are not easy to explain. Some dust has probably been destroyed, while the star's luminosity may have increased even though it was already close to the Eddington limit. Such a rapid luminosity change would be a truly remarkable phenomenon, not predicted by existing models.",

keywords = "Circumstellar matter, ISM: jets and outflows, Stars: activity, Stars: individual (η Carinae), Stars: peculiar, Stars: winds, outflows",

author = "Kris Davidson and Gull, {Theodore R.} and Humphreys, {Roberta M.} and Kazunori Ishibashi and Patricia Whitelock and Leonid Berdnikov and Mcgregor, {Peter J.} and Metcalfe, {Travis S.} and Elisha Polomski and Mario Hamuy",

year = "1999",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1086/301063",

language = "English",

volume = "118",

pages = "1777--1783",

journal = "Astronomical Journal",

issn = "0004-6256",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - An unusual brightening of Eta Carinae

AU - Davidson, Kris

AU - Gull, Theodore R.

AU - Humphreys, Roberta M.

AU - Ishibashi, Kazunori

AU - Whitelock, Patricia

AU - Berdnikov, Leonid

AU - Mcgregor, Peter J.

AU - Metcalfe, Travis S.

AU - Polomski, Elisha

AU - Hamuy, Mario

PY - 1999/10

Y1 - 1999/10

N2 - HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph data show that the apparent near-UV, visual-wavelength, and near-IR brightness of η Car increased by a factor of two during 1998. Meanwhile its Homunculus ejecta nebula brightened by about 30%, the largest fluctuation of this type in the past 40 years. These developments were quite unexpected and are not easy to explain. Some dust has probably been destroyed, while the star's luminosity may have increased even though it was already close to the Eddington limit. Such a rapid luminosity change would be a truly remarkable phenomenon, not predicted by existing models.

AB - HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph data show that the apparent near-UV, visual-wavelength, and near-IR brightness of η Car increased by a factor of two during 1998. Meanwhile its Homunculus ejecta nebula brightened by about 30%, the largest fluctuation of this type in the past 40 years. These developments were quite unexpected and are not easy to explain. Some dust has probably been destroyed, while the star's luminosity may have increased even though it was already close to the Eddington limit. Such a rapid luminosity change would be a truly remarkable phenomenon, not predicted by existing models.

KW - Circumstellar matter

KW - ISM: jets and outflows

KW - Stars: activity

KW - Stars: individual (η Carinae)

KW - Stars: peculiar

KW - Stars: winds, outflows

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0242442233&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1086/301063

DO - 10.1086/301063

M3 - Article

SN - 0004-6256

VL - 118

SP - 1777

EP - 1783

JO - Astronomical Journal

JF - Astronomical Journal

IS - 4

ER -

An unusual brightening of Eta Carinae

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this