Located in the constellation Carina, approximately 7,500 light-years from Earth, is the Eta Carinae system, one of the most massive and luminous star systems in our galaxy. 
The primary star of this pair is more than 100 times the mass of the Sun, while the smaller companion is approximately 50 times the mass of the Sun. The system's luminosity is approximately five million times that of the Sun.
In the 1840s, Eta Carinae experienced the so-called "Great Outburst"—a powerful ejection of matter. This briefly made the system the second-brightest star in the night sky, second only to Sirius. The eruption ejected enough gas and dust to form at least 20 solar systems. The products of the outburst now form the characteristic bipolar Homunculus Nebula—two giant "bubbles" of material diverging in opposite directions.
This stellar "sneeze" is due to the fact that the dominant component of the system is a supermassive star in a late stage of its evolution, experiencing extreme instability. At any moment, it could end its life with a core collapse and a supernova explosion, or, in one scenario, even a hypernova (for example, if the collapse leads to the formation of a black hole). When this happens, the outburst can be so bright that it can be seen even during the day.
Image obtained by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in ultraviolet light (WFC3); released July 1, 2019.
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