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UC Berkeley Press Release

Video: 1843 stellar eruption new type of star explosion

Artist's concept of the expanding blast wave from Eta Carinae's 1843 eruption. The star, a hot blue supergiant, underwent an explosive outburst that created the well-known two-lobed Homunculus nebula, plus a fast shock wave propagating ahead of the Homunculus. Eventually, the faster shock wave and the denser Homunculus nebula expanded to fill the interior of a thousand-year-old shell, producing a bright fireworks display that heated the older shell. (Gemini Observatory artwork by Lynette Cook)

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