Mysterious Transient Emission Features in Eta Carinae

John C. Martin, Kris Davidson, Roberta Humphreys (Univ Minn), K. Ishabashi & The HST Treasury Program on Eta Carinae

A poster presented at the 2005 Winter American Astronomical Society Meeting in Atlanta, GA

Summary

HST/STIS observations for the $\eta$ Carinae Hubble Treasury Project are providing unique insights into the nature of the mysterious 2003 spectroscopic event. These data have far better spatial resolution than ground-based spectroscopy, allowing separation of the star from nearby ejecta. We have found that many spectral features varied in novel ways. Some of them imply a strange set of physical conditions during the event. Others, whose behavior patterns are linked to the event, remain unidentified -- which is unusual in $\eta$ Carinae's well-studied spectrum. Altogether, these results give fresh information which has not otherwise been obtainable. So far they have revealed at least as many new puzzles as answers to older questions.

The Poster

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