Two X-ray pictures have been obtained of the eta Car nebula using the imaging detectors of the Einstein Observatory. One covers a field 1/sup 0/ square with a resolution of 1''; the second covers a field 25'' in diameter with resolution of a few arcsec. These show a region of diffuse X-ray emission with luminosity approx.10/sup 35/ ergs s/sup -1/. The sources have been positively identified as the peculiar object eta Car, a Wolf-Rayet star, a cluster of O stars, and five individual O stars. The eta Car X-ray source is extended and coincides with the outer shell of the diffuse object eta Car itself. One X-ray bright spot may be emission from a central object within eta Car.