Alpha Lupi (α Lupi, α Lup) is a blue giant star, and the brightest star in the southern constellation of Lupus. According to the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale, its apparent visual magnitude of 2.3[2] makes it readily visible to the naked eye even from highly light-polluted locales. Based upon parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission,[11] the star is around 460 light-years (140 parsecs) from the solar system.[1] It is one of the nearest supernova candidates.[12]
Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Lupus |
Right ascension | 14h 41m 55.75579s[1] |
Declination | –47° 23′ 17.5155″[1] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 2.30[2] (2.29 - 2.34[3]) |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | B1.5 III[4] |
U−B color index | –0.88[2] |
B−V color index | –0.20[2] |
Variable type | β Cep[3] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | +5.4 ± 0.6[5] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: −20.94[1] mas/yr Dec.: −23.67[1] mas/yr |
Parallax (π) | 7.02 ± 0.17 mas[1] |
Distance | 460 ± 10 ly (142 ± 3 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | −4.3[6] |
Details | |
Mass | 10.1 ± 1.0[7] M☉ |
Radius | 7.46 ± 0.17[8][a] R☉ |
Luminosity | 18,200+860 −820[8] L☉ |
Surface gravity (log g) | 3.46[6] cgs |
Temperature | 24,550[8] K |
Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.04[9] dex |
Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 9.5[8] km/s |
Age | 16–20[5] Myr |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
Characteristics
editAlpha Lupi is a giant star with a stellar classification of B1.5 III.[4] It has about ten times the mass of the Sun[7] yet is radiating 18,000 times the Sun's luminosity. The outer atmosphere has an effective temperature of 24,550 K,[8] which gives it the blue-white glow of a B-type star. In 1956 it was identified as a Beta Cephei variable by Bernard Pagel and colleagues,[14] which means it undergoes periodic changes in luminosity because of pulsations in the atmosphere. The variability period is 0.29585 days,[9] or just over 7 hours, 6 minutes. The magnitude varies by about 0.05 magnitudes, or about 5% of its brightness. A 14th magnitude star situated 26" from Alpha Lupi is listed as a companion in double star catalogues.[15]
This star is a proper motion member of the Upper Centaurus–Lupus sub-group in the Scorpius–Centaurus OB association, the nearest such co-moving association of massive stars to the Sun.[6] This is a gravitationally unbound stellar association with an estimated age of 16–20 million years. The association is also the source of a bubble of hot gas that contains the Sun, known as the Local Bubble.[5]
Visibility
editVisible from the Southern Hemisphere for much of the year, it can also be viewed for a shorter season from the northern tropics and from parts of the northern subtropical latitudes.
Nomenclature
editα Lupi (Latinised to Alpha Lupi) is the star's Bayer designation.
In Chinese, Kekouan 騎官 (Qí Guān), meaning Imperial Guards, refers to an asterism consisting of α Lupi, γ Lupi, δ Lupi, κ Centauri, β Lupi, λ Lupi, ε Lupi, μ Lup, π Lupi, and ο Lupi.[16] Consequently, the Chinese name for α Lupi itself is 騎官十 (Qí Guān shí, English: the Tenth Star of Imperial Guards.).[17]
R. H. Allen described this star as having the Chinese name Yang Mun or Men (南門), meaning "the South Gate", in his work Star-Names and their Meanings.[18] In Chinese astronomy, 南門 is located in Horn mansion and consisted of α and ε Centauri. It was referred to as Yang Mun, meaning "the south Gate". Allen also suggested that the Babylonian name for the star was "Kakkab Su-gub Gud-Elim" (Star Left Hand of the Horned Bull).[18]
Notes
edit- ^ Applying the Stefan–Boltzmann law with a nominal solar effective temperature of 5,772 K:
- .
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f van Leeuwen, F. (November 2007), "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 474 (2): 653–664, arXiv:0708.1752, Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357, S2CID 18759600
- ^ a b c d Johnson, H. L.; et al. (1966), "UBVRIJKL photometry of the bright stars", Communications of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, 4 (99): 99, Bibcode:1966CoLPL...4...99J
- ^ a b Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009), "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007–2013)", VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S, 1: 02025, Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S
- ^ a b Hiltner, W. A.; Garrison, R. F.; Schild, R. E. (July 1969), "MK Spectral Types for Bright Southern OB Stars", Astrophysical Journal, 157: 313–326, Bibcode:1969ApJ...157..313H, doi:10.1086/150069
- ^ a b c Jilinski, E.; et al. (March 2006), "Radial velocity measurements of B stars in the Scorpius–Centaurus association", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 448 (3): 1001–1006, arXiv:astro-ph/0601643, Bibcode:2006A&A...448.1001J, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20041614, S2CID 17818058
- ^ a b c de Geus, E. J.; de Zeeuw, P. T.; Lub, J. (June 1989), "Physical parameters of stars in the Scorpio-Centaurus OB association", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 216 (1–2): 44–61, Bibcode:1989A&A...216...44D
- ^ a b Tetzlaff, N.; Neuhäuser, R.; Hohle, M. M. (January 2011), "A catalogue of young runaway Hipparcos stars within 3 kpc from the Sun", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 410 (1): 190–200, arXiv:1007.4883, Bibcode:2011MNRAS.410..190T, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17434.x, S2CID 118629873
- ^ a b c d e Sharma, Awshesh N.; Bedding, Timothy R.; Saio, Hideyuki; White, Timothy R. (2022). "Pulsating B stars in the Scorpius–Centaurus Association with TESS". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 515 (1): 828–840. arXiv:2203.02582. Bibcode:2022MNRAS.515..828S. doi:10.1093/mnras/stac1816.
- ^ a b Daszyńska-Daszkiewicz, J.; Niemczura, E. (April 2005), "Metallicity of mono- and multiperiodic β Cephei stars", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 433 (3): 1031–1035, arXiv:astro-ph/0410442, Bibcode:2005A&A...433.1031D, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20040397, S2CID 119340011
- ^ "V* alf Lup -- Variable Star of beta Cep type", SIMBAD, Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg, retrieved 2009-10-26
- ^ Perryman, M. A. C.; et al. (April 1997), "The HIPPARCOS Catalogue", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 323: L49 – L52, Bibcode:1997A&A...323L..49P
- ^ Firestone, R. B. (July 2014), "Observation of 23 Supernovae That Exploded <300 pc from Earth during the past 300 kyr", The Astrophysical Journal, 789 (1): 11, Bibcode:2014ApJ...789...29F, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/789/1/29, S2CID 122871106, 29
- ^ "Light Curve". Hipparcos ESA. ESA. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ Pagel, B. E. J. (1956), "Results of a search for bright β Cephei variables in the southern sky", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 116: 10–24, Bibcode:1956MNRAS.116...10P, doi:10.1093/mnras/116.1.10
- ^ Mason, Brian D.; Wycoff, Gary L.; Hartkopf, William I.; Douglass, Geoffrey G.; Worley, Charles E. (2001), "The 2001 US Naval Observatory Double Star CD-ROM. I. The Washington Double Star Catalog", The Astronomical Journal, 122 (6): 3466, Bibcode:2001AJ....122.3466M, doi:10.1086/323920
- ^ (in Chinese) 中國星座神話, written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, ISBN 978-986-7332-25-7
- ^ (in Chinese) 香港太空館 - 研究資源 - 亮星中英對照表 Archived 2011-01-30 at the Wayback Machine, Hong Kong Space Museum. Accessed on line November 23, 2010]
- ^ a b Allen, R. H. (1963), Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Reprint ed.), New York, NY: Dover Publications Inc., p. 279, ISBN 0-486-21079-0