Astronomers Uncover New Clues to the Star that Wouldn't Die
Thursday, August 2, 2018 - 12:20
in Astronomy & Space
Based on new data, researchers suggest that it takes more than a massive outburst to destroy the mammoth star Eta Carinae. The 1840s eruption may have been triggered by a prolonged stellar brawl among three rowdy sibling stars, which destroyed one star and left the other two in a binary system. This tussle may have culminated with a violent explosion when Eta Carinae devoured one of its two companions, rocketing more than 10 times the mass of our Sun into space. The ejected mass created gigantic bipolar lobes resembling the dumbbell shape seen in present-day images.