Located about 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina the Keel, Eta Carinae consists of two massive stars. One star is an estimated 30 times our sun’s mass. The other star is thought to be 90 times our sun’s mass, outshining our sun by some 5 million times; it is the most luminous and massive star within 10,000 light-years of Earth. The very eccentric mutual orbit of the two massive stars of Eta Carinae bring them close every 5.5 years. At their closest approach, or periastron, the stars are only 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) apart, or about the average distance between Mars and the sun. The last time this happened was in August, 2014, when NASA astronomers turned their instruments on this system to study it in detail.
This video is the result of that detailed study. Fascinating!
Like what you read?
Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.
More from
Editors of EarthSky
Orion the Hunter and the Milky Way on December evenings
The Wright brothers succeeded 120 years ago
Meteor shower guide: Up next the Ursids and the Quadrantids
What’s a green flash and how can I see one?
