Publication Date
3-20-2024
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
arXiv
DOI
10.48550/arXiv.2403.13954
Abstract
Eta Carinae underwent the Great Eruption in the 1840s and a Lesser Eruption in the 1890s. Its apparent spectrum, modified by intervening ejecta, the Homunculus and Little Homunculus, continues to evolve but contains information pertaining to events in the 19th century. The LOS spectrum contains narrow absorption velocities, from -122 to -1665 km/s: rungs of a broken ladder caused by shells formed by the interacting winds. Estimated shell origin dates correlate with origin dates of expanding emission structures preceding the Great Eruption. The LOS absorption velocities extend the record post Great Eruption to the Lesser Eruption. We suggest that these shells originated from a binary merger within a triple system. Shells formed not only from periastron passages of the current secondary, but also from ear-like extensions preceding and following the periastron event. Additional models need to be considered.
Keywords
massive, Eta Carinae
Department
Physics and Astronomy
Recommended Citation
Theodore R. Gull, Henrik Hartman, Michael F. Corcoran, Augusto Damineli, Thomas Madura, Anthony F J Moffat, Noel D. Richardson, and Gerd Weigelt. "Eta Carinae left a curious ladder to climb" arXiv (2024). https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2403.13954
Comments
The preprint of this item can be found on arXiv at the following address: