September 10, 2008 - ScienceNews
The 1840s outburst of the star Eta Carinae eludes classification.
New observations suggest that the brilliant outburst of a hefty star that first wowed observers in the 1840s could be signs of a new, exotic type of stellar explosion.
For centuries, the star Eta Carinae had appeared to be a run-of-the-mill Milky Way resident. But in late 1837, this sleeping giant awoke. By 1843 it had become the second-brightest object in the night sky. Over the next 13 years, the massive star cast off two billowing, mushroom-shaped clouds of material. The star then faded but, a decade ago, unexpectedly increased in brightness and is now visible to the naked eye.
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