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The Eta Carinae star system does not lack
for superlatives. First, it contains one of

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the biggest and brightest stars in our galaxy, weighing at least 90 times the mass of the

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sun. It is also extremely volatile and astronomers expect it will have at least one supernova

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explosion in the future. As one of the first
objects observed by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

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after its launch some 15 years ago, this double star system continues to reveal new clues

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about its nature through the X-rays it generates. New Chandra data are helping astronomers better

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understand how the two stars in Eta Carinae interact with one another through powerful

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winds blowing off their surfaces. As the two stars travel around each other in their elliptical