What’s your ETA?⁣ ⁣ Eta Carinae may be about to explode, but no one knows when. It could be in the relatively near future, though (astronomically speaking) that may be a million years away. With a mass about 100 times greater than our Sun, Eta Carinae makes an excellent candidate for a full-blown supernova, or the explosion of a star.⁣ ⁣ The fireworks started in the 1840s when Eta Carinae went through a titanic outburst in Earth’s skies, called the Great Eruption, making it the second-brightest star visible for over a decade. Eta Carinae, in fact, was so bright that for a time it became an important navigational star for mariners in the southern seas. It is also the only star currently thought to emit natural laser light.⁣ ⁣ Image description:⁣ Two bulbous shapes glow in the center. Shades of gas in blues and purples radiate near the center, while fuchsias, reds, and pinks surround the outer edges. Stars dot the background.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of Arizona) and...