Andromeda
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Star

Eta Carinae

Also HD 93308

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Eta Carinae — Hubble, ultraviolet and visible light; the Homunculus nebula
Hubble, ultraviolet and visible light; the Homunculus nebula. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Source

A pair of very massive stars inside the Carina Nebula, famous for a giant eruption in the 1840s.

Measured

Distance
7,665 light-years
Constellation
Carina
Position (J2000)
RA 10h 45m 04s, Dec −59.68°

How far, from the Sun

7,670 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light7,670 years
  • Voyager 1's speed136 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h82.7 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • During its 'Great Eruption' in the 1840s it briefly became the second-brightest star in the sky.
  • That outburst threw off the Homunculus Nebula, at least 10 Suns' worth of gas.
  • Its two stars total over 100 Suns and orbit each other every 5.54 years.

Where this comes from

  • Smith 2006, Homunculus expansion (2.35 ± 0.05 kpc)

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.