Eta Carinae with two balloons ??

[skysurfer]

Last Friday night I was at a star party in Leeuwenbosch, South Africa and one guy showed me Eta with his C14 using 150x power. I saw two small balloons attached to the star and thought it was an optical error. But the guy said, no, this is real, these are lobes around the star. I looked up Eta with a 30cm Dobson and saw the same. Even with my ED110 and 128 power I saw these balloons but much fainter (smaller aperture of course).
I was amazed I have never seen this before.

Did anyone see this with a scope ?

[bojan]

Yep.
The "baloons" you saw are real.
Just like on Hubble image..
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=h...w=1830&bih=850

I was also totally stunned when I saw them the first time in my 10" Newt at 160x 15-20 years ago

[Paddy (Patrick)]

This is the Homunculus Nebula, the outflow of material from the star when it flared up (observed in the 1840s). If you keep observing, you may see striations in the nebula as well as the two little jets coming out the side.

[ngcles]

Hi Skysurfer & All,

Yep, wonderful isn't it.

I've heard a lot of people over the years say how wonderful it would be if Eta Carinae exploded as a supernova. I hope it doesn't ! The Homunculus is one of the best small nebulae in the sky and does show evolving detail over longish time-scales.

I looked at it for the first time this year last night and noted that the fainter lobe, that has slowly been dimming over the last decade seems to be a bit brighter than the last couple of years. Eta (the star itself), brightened quite a bit between 2005 and 2012 up to about mag 4.6 but has now levelled out for the last few years.

'Tis a wonderful thing !

Best,

Les D

(Doh mis-type Balloons !!)

[skysurfer]

Originally Posted by ngcles

Hi Skysurfer & All,
I hope it doesn't !

Why not ? It would be spectacular to see a second 'Canopus' or even 'Sirius' on the other side of the Southern Cross as Alpha Centauri.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Yeah I hope it does too. Would be a most fortunate spectacular event to witness: a nearby star going supernova during one's lifetime. Eta Carinae and Betelgeuse are the prime (afaik only) candidates. But they could just as easily last another 100k years or more.

Eta Carinae "almost" blew up and went supernova in 1840. The remnants of that event are the Homunculus Nebula as Paddy pointed out. For more interesting info from astrophysicist Prof Merrifield of Nottingham Uni / Sixty Symbols see:

The Amazing Eta Carinae - Sixty Symbols

[CAAD9 (Adam)]

Yes, awesome isn't it!?!

I first saw it in my 14" dob at a dark sky sight, it was a prime goal for the night I was all psyched up for it...I had never noticed it in the backyard before. Oh the satisfaction when we could all see it so clearly! Happy days!

When I looked at it again(this time from my backyard) first in the 14" then in the 10" - there it was again! What? How did I miss it before?

Oh well, the more you observe the more experience you have. I'll put it down to that.

Another new moon, another rainy week in Brisbane.

Cheers all

Adam

[CAAD9 (Adam)]

Originally Posted by janoskiss

Yeah I hope it does too. Would be a most fortunate spectacular event to witness: a nearby star going supernova during one's lifetime. Eta Carinae and Betelgeuse are the prime (afaik only) candidates. But they could just as easily last another 100k years or more.

Eta Carinae "almost" blew up and went supernova in 1840. The remnants of that event are the Homunculus Nebula as Paddy pointed out. For more interesting info from astrophysicist Prof Merrifield of Nottingham Uni / Sixty Symbols see:

The Amazing Eta Carinae - Sixty Symbols

What? No! That's my favourite nebula you're talking about! Even though I can't pronounce its name..... But it's a nebula within a nebula! There is too much to see in there. Mitts off!

No, sorry guys, I'm with the sleeping passenger on this one.

Betelgeuse is just going to have to take one for the team!

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by CAAD9

..............
Betelgeuse is just going to have to take one for the team!

What?! And ruin a perfectly good constellation. Surely there is a third alternative. Be careful what you wish for too, being too close to a SN could be a bit uncomfortable .... or worse.

I think people miss the Homunculus because you tend to look at the nebula at low power and it's easy to not notice that the star isn't 'stellar' in appearance. I think I knew about the Homunculus for years before I realised I could actually see it.

[CAAD9 (Adam)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

What?! And ruin a perfectly good constellation. Surely there is a third alternative. Be careful what you wish for too, being too close to a SN could be a bit uncomfortable .... or worse.

I think people miss the Homunculus because you tend to look at the nebula at low power and it's easy to not notice that the star isn't 'stellar' in appearance. I think I knew about the Homunculus for years before I realised I could actually see it.

Hmm, you're right, i am rather fond of Orion. Damaging it would be a bit of a downer...

But in terms of the danger, and I have not consulted Prof. Wikipedia, so I may well be talking out of my rear here, but at 13 solar masses & 400 odd light years away(or was it parsecs) I thought Betelgeuse exploding is expected to be benign to us.

Does anyone know oh&s implications here?