Eta Carinae

Stellar system in the constellation Carina

Eta Carinae (η Carinae, abbreviated to η Car), formerly known as η Argus, is a stellar system containing at least two stars with a combined luminosity greater than five million times that of the Sun, located around 7,500 light-years (2,300 parsecs) away in the constellation Carina. Previously a 4th-magnitude star, it brightened in 1837 to become brighter than Rigel, marking the start of its so-called "Great Eruption". It became the second-brightest star in the night sky between 11–14 March 1843 before fading well below naked-eye visibility after 1856.

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