English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Very massive stars shed much of their mass in violent precursor eruptions asluminous blue variables (LBVs) before reaching their most likely end assupernovae, but the cause of LBV eruptions is unknown. The 19th centuryeruption of Eta Carinae, the prototype of these events, ejected about 12 solarmasses at speeds of 650 km/s, with a kinetic energy of almost 10^50 ergs. Somefaster material with speeds up to 1000-2000 km/s had previously been reportedbut its full distribution was unknown. Here I report observations of muchfaster material with speeds up to 3500-6000 km/s, reaching farther from thestar than the fastest material in earlier reports. This fast material roughlydoubles the kinetic energy of the 19th century event, and suggests that itreleased a blast wave now propagating ahead of the massive ejecta. Thus, EtaCar's outer shell now mimics a low-energy supernova remnant. The eruption hasusually been discussed in terms of an extreme wind driven by the star'sluminosity, but fast material reported here suggests that it was powered by adeep-seated explosion rivalling a supernova, perhaps triggered by thepulsational pair instability. This may alter interpretations of similar eventsseen in other galaxies.

A Blast Wave from the 1843 Eruption of Eta Carinae