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The stellar wind geometry of η Carinae

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2016

Nathan Smith ,
Kris Davidson ,
Theodore R. Gull  and
Kazunori Ishibashi
Nathan Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Kris Davidson
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Theodore R. Gull
Affiliation:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 681, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Kazunori Ishibashi
Affiliation:
Center for Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, NE80-6011, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Abstract

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HST-stis spectroscopy of the Homunculus reflection nebula around η Carinae provides a rare opportunity to observe a star from more than one direction, and reveals that η Car has an aspherical stellar wind. Relatively high velocities and strong absorption are seen near the polar axis, suggesting higher mass flux toward the poles, perhaps resulting from equatorial gravity darkening on a rotating star. The bipolar wind geometry may imply that intrinsically asymmetric ejection helped form the Homunculus. It is also critical for understanding this star's variability and evolution.

Type
Part 1. Atmospheres of Massive Stars
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 212: A Massive Star Odyssey: From Main Sequence to Supernova , 2003 , pp. 236 - 240
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2003 

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