The shocking near-IR spectrum of the homunculus

New observations of eta Car's near-infrared spectrum provide important considerations for the central star's variability, and reveal extended molecular hydrogen and strong forbidden iron emission for the first time. I discuss how the observed near-infrared spectrum changes with position in the Homunculus, including potential hazards of ignoring aperture size. A few positions in the nebula have anomalous reflected line strengths compared to the star, and some include intrinsic emission. The most surprising examples of intrinsic emission in the Homunculus come from positions several arcseconds away from the central star; the polar lobes show strong emission from certain [Fe II] lines (especially [Fe II] 16435) that are also emitted by gas outside the Homunculus. Probably the most important new result of this investigation is the first detection of near-infrared emission from H-2 in eta Car, indicating that dense molecular gas formed in the ejecta of the Great Eruption, and can survive in the harsh environment around eta Car. The extended [Fe II] and H-2 emission both suggest shock excitation in the polar lobes, and I discuss some possible implications for eta Car's stellar wind.