ETA CAR: THE RECOVERY OF A SUPERNOVA IMPOSTOR

Eta Car is one of the most massive and most luminous stars in our Galaxy.  It is famous for its Giant Eruption in the 1840/50s 
which made Eta Car temporarily the second brightest star in the sky. Its total luminous energy output during this period rivaled 
that of a supernova. In about 20 years the star expelled 10-30 solar masses of material resulting in the stunning Homunculus 
Nebula. Intriguingly, Eta Car survived the event and this so-called supernova impostor entered a phase of recovery and subsequent 
evolution. In this contribution, we present an overview of Eta Car's century-long recovery and discuss its current state.