Morhology and kinematics of eta Carinae

W. J. Duschl, K. -H. Hofmann, F. Rigaut, G. Weigelt

Published 1994-10-28Version 1

We present a high-resolution image of $\eta$~Car. Together with IR and visual observations of the central arcsecond, we use this to discuss the morphological structure of $\eta$~Car on the different length scales. We identify three different structural components: a bipolar outflow, an equatorial disk of streamers, and the speckle objects. We discuss models for the kinematics of the whole complex, and propose observations that could settle the question of the structure of $\eta$~Car.