Program: GS-2012A-DD-5

Eta Carinae (Eta Car) is one of the most massive binaries in the Milky Way (Davidson & Humphreys, 1997), and its expanding circumstellar nebula has been studied in detail (Smith, 2006). It was seen as the second brightest star in the sky during its 1800s ``Great Eruption'', but only visual estimates of its brightness were recorded (Smith & Frew, 2011). In 2011 we discovered several light echoes which appear to be from the 1838-1858 Eta Car Great Eruption (Rest et. al., 2012). Subsequent spectroscopic follow-up revealed that its outburst spectral type was most similar to those of G-type supergiants, rather than reported LBV outburst spectral types of F-type (or earlier) (Rest et. al., 2012). These differences between the Great Eruption and the extragalactic transients presumed to be its analogues raise questions about traditional scenarios for the outburst. Here we ask for DD time to obtain the last missing piece: the spectrum of Eta Car before the Great Eruption started. This will give us a unique view of such a a massive LBV before, during, and after the Great Eruption.