| Abstract
| - Abstract. High-resolution spectra of molecular hydrogen in the Homunculus nebula allow for the first direct measurement of the systemic velocity of η Carinae. Near-infrared long-slit data for H2 1-0 S(1) λ21218 obtained with the Phoenix spectrometer on the Gemini South telescope give Vsys=−8.1 ± 1 km s−1 (heliocentric), or VLSR=−19.7 ± 1 km s−1, from the average of the near and far sides of the Homunculus. This measurement considerably improves the precision for the value of −7 ± 10 km s−1 inferred from neighbouring O-type stars in the Carina nebula. New near-infrared spectra also provide a high-resolution line profile of [Fe ii]λ16435 emission from gas condensations known as the Weigelt objects without contamination from the central star, revealing a line shape with complex kinematic structure. Previously, uncertainty in the kinematics of the Weigelt knots was dominated by the adopted systemic velocity of η Car.
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