Integral: Stellar winds colliding at our cosmic doorstep   This is an artist’s rendition of a colliding-wind binary system. ESA’s orbiting gamma-ray observatory, Integral, has made the first unambiguous discovery of high-energy X-rays coming from a colliding-wind binary system at our cosmic doorstep, Eta Carinae. It is one of the most violent places in the galaxy, producing vast winds of electrically-charged particles colliding at speeds of thousands of kilometres per second. The high-energy X-rays come from a vast shockwave, set up and maintained between the two massive stars. The shockwave is produced when the two stars’ stellar winds collide, creating the system that is termed a colliding-wind binary.   This is an image of the region around Eta Carinae, as seen by Integral in the high-energy X-ray range. The distance between Eta Carinae and the Integral point source IE 1048.1-5937 is 45 arcminutes.   This is an artist’s impression of ESA’s orbiting gamma-ray observatory, Integral.   This is an image of the Carina Nebula as seen by the Hubble space telescope. The location of Eta Carinae is indicated. Release date: 20 April 2009