Asymmetric variability in ultraviolet images of the Homunculus obtained with
the Advanced Camera for Surveys/High Resolution Camera on the Hubble Space
Telescope suggests that Eta Carinae is indeed a binary system. Images obtained
before, during, and after the recent ``spectroscopic event'' in 2003.5 show
alternating patterns of bright spots and shadows on opposite sides of the star
before and after the event, providing a strong geometric argument for an
azimuthally-evolving, asymmetric UV radiation field as one might predict in
some binary models. The simplest interpretation of these UV images, where
excess UV escapes from the secondary star in the direction away from the
primary, places the major axis of the eccentric orbit roughly perpendicular to
our line of sight, sharing the same equatorial plane as the Homunculus, and
with apastron for the hot secondary star oriented toward the southwest of the
primary. However, other orbital orientations may be allowed with more
complicated geometries. Selective UV illumination of the wind and ejecta may be
partly responsible for line profile variations seen in spectra. The brightness
asymmetries cannot be explained plausibly with delays due to light travel time
alone, so a single-star model would require a seriously asymmetric shell
ejection.Comment: 8 pages, fig 1 in color, accepted by ApJ Letter