Eta Carina Spectrum

Image Credit: Mike Corcoran, NASA/GSFC

A deep (100 ksec) exposure of Eta Car was obtained with the ASCA SIS and GIS instruments on Jul 29 1996. This is the best X-ray spectrum yet obtained for Eta Car.

Above is the "unfolded" SIS Eta Car spectrum which shows a highly absorbed, very high-temperature thermal component (at energies above 2 keV). The high temperature emission originates very close to the star itself, and is variable. It is probably produced by a shock as the wind from Eta Car collides with the wind or surface of an unseen companion. Eta Car also has considerable emission at energies below 1 keV, but this mainly originates in the extended emission surrounding the "homunculus", the nebula ejected from Eta Car in the 1840's.

A larger GIF version of this is available.

IMAGES | By Mission | Stars | Cataclysmic Variables | X-ray Binaries | Pulsars | Supernova Remnants & Planetary Nebulae | Galaxies | Active Galactic Nuclei | Clusters and Groups of Galaxies | X-ray/gamma-ray Background & Deep Fields | Solar System Objects | Gamma Ray Bursts