AAS 199th meeting, Washington, DC, January 2002
Session 133. Variable Stars: Searchers, Data, Analysis
Display, Thursday, January 10, 2002, 9:20am-4:00pm, Exhibit Hall

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[133.09] The Chandra X-ray Grating Spectrum of Eta Car and WR 140

M. F. Corcoran (USRA & GSFC-LHEA), A. M. T. Pollock (C & S Ltd.), J. Pittard (Leeds), Initials Stevens (U. Birmingham)

Eta Carinae is perhaps the most massive star in the Galaxy, and strongly suspected to be a long-period (P=5.52 years) colliding wind binary. WR140 is a known long period (P=7.9 years) colliding wind binary consisting of a Wolf-Rayet star and O star companion. We have recently obtained high resolution X-ray spectra of Eta Carinae (near apastron in the putative binary orbit) and WR 140 (near periastron). We compare both spectra and find that they are consistent with X-ray emission formed in the shocked region where the wind from the primary and secondary star collide.


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