The supernova that wasn't: A tale of three cosmic eruptions
Friday, September 2, 2016 - 16:31
in Astronomy & Space
In the mid-1800s, astronomers surveying the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere noticed something strange: Over the course of a few years, a previously inconspicuous star named Eta Carinae grew brighter and brighter, eventually outshining all other stars except Sirius, before fading again over the next decade, becoming too dim to be seen with the naked eye.