Structure in the Carina Nebula and Eta Carinae
Abstract
Recent discoveries regarding structural features of the Carina Nebula and Eta Carinae based on spectrographic observations and photographs made with the four-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo (Chile) are reported. Image-tube spectroscopy has shown that the clouds near the southeastern edge of the Carina II ring reflect the peculiar emission-line spectrum of Eta Carinae. This may explain changes in the appearance of the keyhole feature of the Carina Nebula, since earlier observations were made when Eta was six or seven magnitudes brighter than at present. The present appearance of Eta Carinae itself is evidently due to expanding material ejected during a series of outbursts of the underlying object. Recent velocity measurements made on different parts of the outer shell suggest that some of this material may have been ejected in bursts occurring about 100 and about 500 years ago.
- Publication:
-
Sky and Telescope
- Pub Date:
- July 1977
- Bibcode:
- 1977S&T....54...22W
- Keywords:
-
- Astronomical Photography;
- Astronomical Spectroscopy;
- Nebulae;
- Emission Spectra;
- Milky Way Galaxy;
- Radio Emission;
- Ring Structures;
- Supernova Remnants;
- Velocity Distribution;
- Astronomy