Eta Carinae: The 2003.5 Observing Campaign: Papers and Presentations

In 2003.5 Eta Carinae, one of the most luminous and massive stars in the Universe, is expected to undergo an X-ray eclipse. This X-ray eclipse is believed to occur every 5.52 years and is apparently correlated with the 5.52 year fading of high excitation lines (like He II 10830 Å published by Augusto Damineli). The X-ray emission is thought to arise at a shock front produced as the wind from Eta Car slams into the wind from a less massive (but hotter) companion star. The eclipse may be produced as the shock front around the companion moves behind the thick wind of Eta Car. The upcoming eclipse marks only the 3rd time the X-ray eclipse has been seen (the first time was a fortuitous observation with ROSAT), and we hope will mark the first time the event is observed by the full complement of ground-based and space based instrumentation. This page summarizes some of the planned observations, and results as they become available.

Papers Relating to the 2003.5 Campaign

• "X-Ray Monitoring of Eta Carinae: Variations on a Theme", M. F. Corcoran, 2005, AJ, 129, 2018 (electronic version of Table 2, RXTE PCU lightcurve, 1996-2004)
• Wind-wind collision in the Eta Carinae binary system: a shell-like event near periastron", Falceta-Goncalves, D., Jatenco-Pereira, V., and Abraham, Z., 2005, MNRAS, 357, 895.
• "The Ultraviolet Spectrum of Eta Carinae: Investigation of the Ejecta Absorption", Nielsen, K. E., Gull, T. R., and Vieira Kober, G., 2005, ApJS, 157, 138.
• "VLT UVES Observations of the Balmer Line Variations of Eta Carinae during the 2003 Spectroscopic Event", Weis, K., Stahl, O., Bomans, D. J., Davidson, K., Gull, T. R., and Humphreys, R. M., 2005, AJ, 129, 1694.
• "The 2003.5 Post-Periastron Brightening of eta Carinae", Allen, W. H., van Genderen, A. M., and Sterken, C., 2005, Informational Bulletin on Variable Stars, 5601, 1.
• "The Absorption Spectrum of High-Density Stellar Ejecta in the Line of Sight to Eta Carinae", Gull, T. R., Vieira, G., Bruhweiler, F., Nielsen, K. E., Verner, E., and Danks, A., 2005, ApJ, 620, 442.
• "Eta Carinae: Galactic Superstar", Robert Naeye, Sky & Telescope, 108, 42
• "Detection of He II λ4686 in η Carinae", Steiner and Damineli, 2004, The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 612, Issue 2, pp. L133-L136., 612, L133
• "The 2003 shell event in η Carinae", Whitelock, Feast, Marang, and Breedt, 2004, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 352, Issue 2, pp. 447-456., 352, 447
• "The Purple Haze of η Carinae: Binary-induced Variability?", Smith, Morse, Collins, and Gull, 2004, The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 610, Issue 2, pp. L105-L108., 610, L105
• "Identification of emission lines in the low-ionization strontium filament near Eta Carinae", Hartman, Gull, Johansson, Smith, and HST Eta Carinae Treasury Project Team, 2004, Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.419, p.215-224 (2004), 419, 215
• "Kinematics and Ultraviolet to Infrared Morphology of the Inner Homunculus of η Carinae", Smith, Morse, Gull, Hillier, Gehrz, Walborn, Bautista, Collins, Corcoran, Damineli, Hamann, Hartman, Johansson, Stahl, and Weis, 2004, The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 605, Issue 1, pp. 405-424., 605, 405
• "η Carinae's Brightness Variations Since 1998: Hubble Space Telescope Observations of the Central Star", Martin and Koppelman, 2004, The Astronomical Journal, Volume 127, Issue 4, pp. 2352-2361., 127, 2352
• "eta Car recovering from the 2003.5 spectroscopic event", Groh and Damineli, 2004, Information Bulletin on Variable Stars, 5492, 1., 5492, 1
• "eta Car: the optical features at the 2003.5 low-excitation event", van Genderen, Sterken, Allen, and Liller, 2003, Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.412, p.L25-L28 (2003), 412, L25
• "Optical CCD Observations of Eta Carinae at La Plata Observatory", Fernández Lajús, E., Gamen, R., Schwartz, M., Salerno, N., Llinares, C., Fariña, C., Amorín, R., Niemela, V., 2003, IBVS, 5477
• "Eta Carinae's year of glory.", Roth, 2003, Sky & Telescope, 106, part no 1, 30-35 (2003), 106, 30
• "eta Carinae", Abraham, Dominici, Damineli, Leister, and Levenhagen, 2003, IAU Circ., 8162, 4 (2003). Edited by Green, D. W. E., 8162, 4
• "eta Carinae", Corcoran, 2003, IAU Circ., 8160, 3 (2003). Edited by Green, D. W. E., 8160, 3
• "eta Carinae", Whitelock, Marang, and Crause, 2003, IAU Circ., 8160, 2 (2003). Edited by Green, D. W. E., 8160, 2
• "eta Carinae", Corcoran, 2003, IAU Circ., 8154, 2 (2003). Edited by Green, D. W. E., 8154, 2
• "eta Carinae", Corcoran, 2003, IAU Circ., 8146, 1 (2003). Edited by Green, D. W. E., 8146, 1
• "eta Carinae", Levenhagen, Damineli, Leister, and Abraham, 2003, IAU Circ., 8100, 2 (2003). Edited by Green, D. W. E., 8100, 2

Meetings & Presentations

• "The Fate of the Most Massive Stars", Jackson Hole, Wyoming, May 23-28.
• "X-ray Gyrations of Eta Carina during the 2003 X-ray Eclipse, or, Is Presence of Evidence Evidence of Presence?", presented by M. F. Corcoran at "Massive Stars in Interacting Binary Systems", Lake Sacacomie, Quebec, Canada, Aug. 16-20. (proceedings, pdf)
• "XMM-Newton observations of the 2003 X-Ray minimum of eta Carinae", presented by K. Hamaguchi at "Massive Stars in Interacting Binary Systems", Lake Sacacomie, Quebec, Canada, Aug. 16-20. (proceedings, pdf)
• "Eta Carinae: its binarity as implied by STIS observations over the latest 5.54-year cycle", presented by T. Gull at "Massive Stars in Interacting Binary Systems", Lake Sacacomie, Quebec, Canada, Aug. 16-20.
• "XMM-Newton Observations of the 2003 X-ray Minimum of Eta Carinae" K. Hamaguchi (NASA's GSFC & NRC), M. F. Corcoran (NASA's GSFC & USRA), N. E. White (NASA's GSFC), A. Damineli (IAGUSP), K. Davidson (U. Minnesota), T. R. Gull (NASA's GSFC), AAS 203, 58.01
• "High Resolution Temporal and Spectral Monitoring of Eta Carinae's X-ray Emission Through the June Eclipse", M. F. Corcoran (USRA & NASA-GSFC/LHEA), K. Hamaguchi (NRC & NASA-GSFC/LHEA), D. Henley (University of Birmingham), J. M. Pittard (The University of Leeds), T. R. Gull (NASA-GSFC/LASP), K. Davidson (University of Minnesota), J. H. Swank, R. Petre (NASA-GSFC/LHEA), K. Ishibashi (MIT), Eta Car HST Treasury Team, AAS 203, 58.02
• "Brightness Variations in the Central Star of Eta Carinae From 1998 to the Present", J.C. Martin, M. D. Koppelman (University of Minnesota), Eta Car HST Treasury Team, AAS 203, 58.03
• "A Complex Two Dimensional Spectroscopic Database: The HST Treasury Archive for Eta Carinae" R. M. Humphreys, K. Davidson, M. Gray, M. D. Koppelman, A. Qian, J. C. Martin (Univ. Minn.), K. Ishibashi (MIT), Eta Car HST Treasury Team, AAS 203, 58.04
• "The HST Treasury Project on Eta Carinae" K. Davidson (Univ. of Minnesota), K. Ishibashi (MIT), T.R. Gull (NASA/GSFC), J. C. Martin, R.M. Humphreys (Univ. of Minnesota), A. Damineli (Univ. S‹o Paulo), K. Weis, O. Stahl (Landessternwarte Heidelberg), D.J. Hillier (Univ. of Pittsburgh), M. Corcoran (NASA/GSFC), F. Hamann (Univ. of Florida), N. Walborn (STScI), S. Johansson, H. Hartman (Univ. of Lund), M. Bautista (IVIC), AAS 203, 58.05
• "The UV Scattering Halo of the Central Source Associated with Eta Carinae" D. J. Hillier (University of Pittsburgh), K. Davidson (University of Minnesota), T. R. Gull (NASA's GSFC), R. M. Humphreys (University of Minnesota), R. Iping, G. Sonneborn (NASA's GSFC), Eta Car HST Treasury Team, AAS 203, 58.06
• "Alternative orbital parameters for Eta Car's alleged companion star: ``panacea or placebo in a bottle?" K. Ishibashi (MIT/CSR), K. Davidson, R. M. Humphreys (University of Minnesota), N. Smith (University of Colorado), AAS 203, 58.07
• Changes in the Far UV spectrum of Eta Carinae near the 2003 minimum. R.C. Iping (CUA &NASA's GSFC), T.R. Gull, G. Sonneborn (NASA's GSFC), D. Massa, G.L. Vieira (SGT Inc. & NASA's GSFC), K. E. Nielsen (CUA), AAS 203, 58.08
• "UV nebular absorption in Eta Car and Weigelt D" K. E. Nielsen (CUA & NASA/GSFC), G. L. Vieira (SSAI & NASA/GSFC), T. R. Gull (NASA/GSFC), D. J Lindler (ACC & NASA/GSFC), Eta Car HST Treasury Team, AAS 203, 58.09
• "Eta Carinae and the 2003.5 Minimum: Ultraviolet Changes of the Central Source and the Very Nearby Ejecta T.R. Gull (NASA/GSFC), K. E. Nielsen (CUA & NASA/GSFC), G. L. Vieira (SSAI & NASA/GSFC), D.J. Hillier (Univ of Pittsburgh), N. Walborn (STScI), K. Davidson (Univ of Minnesota), Eta Car HST Treasury Team, AAs 203, 58.10
• "Determining cloud parameters with the Curve-of-Growth: Application Eta Car" G. L. Vieira (SSAI & NASA/GSFC), T. R. Gull (NASA/GSFC), F. Bruhweiler, K. E. Nielsen, E. M. Verner (CUA & NASA/GSFC), Eta Car HST Treasury Team, AAS 203, 58.11
• "Unexpected Behavior of Hydrogen Emission Lines during Eta Carinae's Spectroscopic Event in 2003" K. Davidson, J. Martin (Univ. of Minnesota), Eta Car HST Treasury Project Team, AAS 204, 7.11
• "The Purple Haze of Eta Carinae: Lately Things Don't Seem the Same" N. Smith (U. Colorado), J.A. Morse (Arizona State U.), N.R. Collins, T.R. Gull (NASA/GSFC), AAS 204, 7.12