Laser action in a gas condensation in the vicinity of a hot star

In the region around 1 $\mu $m we have found laser action in a quantum transition between highly excited states in Fe II, with its higher levels being optically pumped by the intense H Ly$\alpha $ radiation (1215 Å) formed in the ionized HII region of a gas condensation (blob B) in the close vicinity of the central star in $\eta $ Carinae.