(of HalleyΓÇÖs Comet fame), who saw it easily through a telescope in 1677. In 1838 the famous astronomer Sir John Herschel observed it near its maximum brightness. Since the 1800s Eta Carinae has dimmed significantly and, despite brief periods of luminosity, it is now well below the naked eyeΓÇÖs threshold of perception.
Modern space observations of this star began with the launch of the Einstein Observatory, on November 13, 1978. This first satellite x-ray observatory contained five instruments, each designed to collect x-ray images and detect x-ray emissions from numerous previously unknown sources.
Infrared observations of the Keyhole Nebula were made possible by the Infrared
