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K. Ishibashi (NRC/LASP at NASA's GSFC), K. Davidson (University of Minnesota), T. R. Gull (LASP at NASA's GSFC)
HST/STIS spectral monitoring of Eta Carinae and its ejecta reveals the presence of a relatively small bipolar structure inside the central regions of the familiar Homunculus lobes. Astrometric analysis shows that the Little Homunculus was most likely ejected during the 1890 event.
Here we employ a simple plasma analysis on the ejecta: (1) identify the forbidden [Fe~II] lines, and (2) use them with a Boltzmann distribution to estimate a locus in ``gas temperature''-versus-``Reddening' parameter space. Our preliminary result shows that gas temperature of the Little Homunculus may be around 5000~K with reddening E(B-V)\approx 0.5 of a standard interstellar reddening is valid.
This work has been supported by STIS GTO and GO funding through the STScI.