IR Compendium: Eta Carinae || SPITZER HOME || SPITZER SCIENCE || COMPENDIUM HOME || EXAMPLES INDEX ||

Table of Contents

• Basic information
• Infrared Fluxes
• Spectral Energy Distributions
• Infrared Images
• Infrared Spectra
• Spitzer Observations
• Further Reading

Basic Information

• Common name: Eta Carinae

• Other names: HD 93308, IRAS 10431-5925

• Position:RA= 10h45m03.59s Dec=-59d41m04.26s (J2000)

• Type: Variable star, Luminous Blue Variable

As the prototypical luminous blue variable, Eta Carinae is extensively studied due to its variability and surrounding dust. While we include Eta Carinae as an example in this Compendium, we caution that this object will not be observed by Spitzer as it will saturate all instruments on the spacecraft. Studies of the dust and star formation in the Carina Nebula around Eta Carinae will however be observed by Spitzer, but any potential observers must account for possible scattered light from Eta Carinae while planning observations.

Infrared Fluxes

Spectral Energy Distributions

This SED was created using the sensitivity and saturation values available in November 2004. The black dots are the flux values from the above table. The green and red lines are the respective sensitivity and saturation limits for each instrument. The sensitivity values used are for a 5 sigma detection of a point source with a 500 second exposure.

Infrared images

DSS 2nd Generation Red (Search the DSS)

2MASS K band (Search the 2MASS Quicklook Image Server)

MSX A band image (8.28 microns) (Retrieve MSX images using OASIS)

5 degree IRAS 12 micron image centered on Eta Carinae (Retrieve IRAS images using OASIS)

MSX E band image (21.3 microns) (Retrieve MSX images using OASIS)

5 degree IRAS 100 micron image centered on Eta Carinae (Retrieve IRAS images using OASIS)

Infrared spectra

ISO-CAM SWS spectra (Search the ISO archive)

ISO-CAM LWS spectra (Search the ISO archive)

Spitzer Observations

• This object is part of a GTO program using IRAC, IRS, and MIPS (Program ID number 124)
  (You can download the AORs (Astronomical Observation Requests) for this object into Spot by using "View Program" under the "File" menu and entering these program IDs.)
• Search the ROC for planned observations

Further reading

• Mass and Kinetic Energy of the Homunculus Nebula around η Carinae, Smith, N., Gehrz, R. D., Hinz, P. M., Hoffmann, W. F., Hora, J. L., Mamajek, E. E., Meyer, M. R., 2003, AJ, 125, 1458.
• A Hubble Space Telescope Polarization Study of Dust in the η Carinae Homunculus, King, N. L., Nota, A., Walsh, J. R., Panagia, N., Gull, T. R., Pasquali, A., Clampin, M., Bergeron, L. E., 2002, ApJ, 581, 285.
• Dissecting the Homunculus nebula around Eta Carinae with spatially resolved near-infrared spectroscopy, Smith, N., 2002, MNRAS, 337, 1252.
• A Disrupted Circumstellar Torus inside η Carinae's Homunculus Nebula, Smith, N., Gehrz, R. D., Hinz, P. M., Hoffmann, W. F., Mamajek, E. E., Meyer, M. R., Hora, J. L., 2002, ApJ, 567, 77.
• Discovery of a double ring in the core of eta Carinae, Hony, S., Dominik, C., Waters, L. B. F. M., Icke, V., Mellema, G., van Boekel, R., de Koter, A., Morris, P. M., Barlow, M., Cox, P., Käufl, H. U., 2001, A&A, 377, 1.
• The Shocking Near-Infrared Spectrum of the Homunculus Nebula Surrounding η Carinae, Smith, N., Davidson, K., 2001, ApJ, 551, 101.
• Variability of η Carinae - III, Feast, M., Whitelock, P., Marang, F., 2001, MNRAS, 322, 741.
• Recent Changes in the Near-Infrared Structure of η Carinae, Smith, N., Gehrz, R. D., 2000, ApJ, 529, 99.
• Discovery of a massive equatorial torus in the η Carinae, Morris, P. W., Waters, L. B. F. M., Barlow, M. J., Lim, T., de Koter, A., Voors, R. H. M., Cox, P., de Graauw, T., Henning, T., Hony, S., Lamers, H. J. G. L. M., Mutschke, H., Trams, N. R., 1999, NAture, 402, 502.