2002A&A...387..151M

We present new high-resolution observations of the LBV (or S Dor variable) HR Carinae, taken with the FEROS spectrograph in the wavelength range λ 3900-8200. The HI and FeII lines show P Cygni profiles while the He i lines are all in absorption. Emission lines due to [NII], [OI], NaII, MgII, CaII and [FeII] were also identified. Complex structures in the absorption profiles of Hα, Hβ and in most of the iron lines suggest the presence of two distinct absorption regions with expansion velocities of 30km/s and 100km/s. From a spectral analysis of the Balmer lines with a non-LTE expanding atmosphere code, we derive for HR Carinae the following parameters: T_*=10000K, R_*=350R_☉, {dot}(M=6.8)x10^–5M_☉/yr and He/H=0.4. The comparison of the temperature obtained in this work with the values estimated by Nota et al. (1997ApJ...486..338N) indicates that HR Carinae is moving redward across the H-R diagram on a short timescale, due to a new S Dor-phase.