BEPPOSAX OBSERVATIONS OF ETA CARINAE - A MULTICOLOR STUDY OF ITS RECENT LOW AND HIGH STATES

We report on a ongoing campaign of multiwavelength observations of the superluminous galactic object eta Carinae, following its mid 1992 low state. The BeppoSAX LEGS and MECS observations of December 1996 detec ted many sources in the eta Car field, eta Car itself is by far the br ightest, with a multi-component spectrum. The object was in a high sta te in agreement with ASCA and RossiXTE observations. Optical (LNA), ul traviolet (IUE), and radio observations indicate a general flux modula tion following the 5.52 y cycle. A gradual decrease of these fluxes si nce 1995 are suggestive of the approaching of the next low state.