F_Centauri

F Centauri

F Centauri

Suspected astrometric binary star system in the constellation Centaurus

For f Centauri, see HD 113703.

F Centauri is a suspected astrometric binary[6] star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. It has a reddish hue and is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude that fluctuates around +5.01.[2] The system is located at a distance of approximately 450 light years from the Sun based on parallax, and it has an absolute magnitude of −0.87.[2] O. J. Eggen flagged this star as a member of the Hyades Supercluster.[7]

Quick Facts Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0, Constellation ...

The visible component is an aging red giant star on the asymptotic giant branch[8] with a stellar classification of M1III,[3] indicating it has exhausted the supply of both hydrogen and helium at its core and is cooling and expanding. It is a suspected variable star of unknown type that has been measured ranging in brightness from visual magnitude 4.94 down to 5.07.[4] At present it has 48 times the radius of the Sun. It is radiating 502 times the Sun's luminosity from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 3,948 K.[1]

References

  1. [1]
    Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 616. A1. arXiv:1804.09365. Bibcode:2018A&A...616A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR.
  2. [2]
    Anderson, E.; Francis, Ch. (2012), "XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation", Astronomy Letters, 38 (5): 331, arXiv:1108.4971, Bibcode:2012AstL...38..331A, doi:10.1134/S1063773712050015, S2CID 119257644.
  3. [3]
    Houk, Nancy; Cowley, A. P. (1979), Michigan catalogue of two-dimensional spectral types for the HD stars, vol. 1, Ann Arbor, Michigan: Dept. of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Bibcode:1978mcts.book.....H.
  4. [4]
    Samus, N. N.; et al. (2017), "General Catalogue of Variable Stars", Astronomy Reports, 5.1, 61 (1): 80–88, Bibcode:2017ARep...61...80S, doi:10.1134/S1063772917010085, S2CID 125853869.
  5. [5]
    "F Cen". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  6. [6]
    Eggleton, P. P.; Tokovinin, A. A. (September 2008), "A catalogue of multiplicity among bright stellar systems", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 389 (2): 869–879, arXiv:0806.2878, Bibcode:2008MNRAS.389..869E, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13596.x, S2CID 14878976.
  7. [7]
    Eggen, O. J. (February 1983), "NGC 2423 and the red giants of the Hyades supercluster", Astronomical Journal, 88: 190-196, Bibcode:1983AJ.....88..190E, doi:10.1086/113305.
  8. [8]
    Eggen, Olin J. (July 1992), "Asymptotic giant branch stars near the sun", Astronomical Journal, 104 (1): 275–313, Bibcode:1992AJ....104..275E, doi:10.1086/116239.
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