STScI Preprint #1223

Can Eta Carinae be a Triple System?

We examine the possibility that Eta Carinae is a triple system. We show that a stable hierarchical system is possible, although perhaps only marginally.

We outline a speculative scenario for the history of the system, in which the giant outburst of the last century is associated with an interchange of components in a dynamically unstable triple system. We point out that the currently observed spectroscopic "event" could be used to distinguish among the different possible configurations of the system.

Status:

Appeared in: MNRAS, 295:L59-60, 1998

Affiliations:

¹) Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

²) Permanent address: Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road Cambridge CB3 0HA, United Kingdom