eROSITA studies of the Carina nebula

Vol. 682
6. Interstellar and circumstellar matter

eROSITA studies of the Carina nebula

Whatever might be wanted to study feedback processes and the symbiosis of stars and interstellar clouds can be found in the Carina nebula. This star-forming region harbors a broad range of massive stars, including the ever-popular luminous blue variable (and multiple interacting wind system) eta Carina. The region and its core clusters have been subject to continuing multiwavelength observations for a few decades, but this paper presents the deepest, spatially broadest X-ray coverage to date by the eROSITA consortium. The results include photometry and imaging of eta Car, spectroscopy of the diffuse gas and the massive stellar members (Wolf-Rayet and OB stars), and a phenomenological model for the internal superbubble generated by the outflow from the OB stars and eta Car. This is a benchmark dataset, comparable to that of the Orion complex, and is certain to remain an essential resource.