ER Ursae Majoris

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ER Ursae Majoris
ERUMaLightCurve.png
A visual band light curve for ER Ursae Majoris. The main plot shows a normal outburst in 2004, with the estimated value for the unobserved maximum plotted in red. The inset plot shows superhump oscillations. Adapted from Zhao et al. (2006). [1]
Observation data
Epoch J2000       Equinox J2000
Constellation Ursa Major
Right ascension 09h 47m 11.941s [2]
Declination +51° 54 08.95 [2]
Apparent magnitude  (V)12.4 to 15.2 [3]
Characteristics
Variable type Dwarf nova(?) [3]
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ)RA: 33.659 mas/yr [2]
Dec.: −6.209 mas/yr [2]
Parallax (π)2.8039±0.0205  mas [2]
Distance 1,163 ± 9  ly
(357 ± 3  pc)
Orbit [4]
Period (P)0.06366±0.00003 d
Eccentricity (e)0.00 (assumed)
Inclination (i)18–50 [5] °
Periastron epoch (T)2,449,740.0637±0.0008  HJD
Argument of periastron (ω)
(secondary)
0.00 (assumed)°
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)
48±4 km/s
Details
White dwarf
Mass 1.0±0.2 [5]   M
Temperature 32,000 [5]   K
Donor star
Mass 0.10 [5]   M
Other designations
PG 0943+521, ER UMa, AAVSO 0939+52, GSC 03439-00550, 2MASS J09471193+5154089 [6]
Database references
SIMBAD data

ER Ursae Majoris is a variable star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major, abbreviated ER UMa. It is a prototype system for a subclass of SU Ursae Majoris dwarf novae. [5] The system ranges in brightness from a peak apparent visual magnitude of 12.4 down to 15.2, [3] which is too faint to be visible to the naked eye. The distance to this system, based on parallax measurements, is approximately 1,163  light years. [2]

This system was identified as an ultraviolet excess object as part of the Palomar-Green (PG) survey by R. F. Green and associate in 1986. It was given the catalog identifier PG 0943+521, and was confirmed to be cataclysmic variable. In 1992, it was determined this is a dwarf nova that ranges in brightness from magnitude 12.3 down to 15.2. F. A. Ringwald in 1993 found a candidate orbital period of 0.1997 days based on radial velocity variation, but with some uncertainty. [7]

In 1995, T. Kato and C. Kunjaya confirmed this is a SU Ursae Majoris-type dwarf nova, and noted the unusual nature of this system, finding it has a long superoutburst lasting about 20 days and the supercycle (the time between superoutbursts) is very short at around 43 days. [8] Large amplitude superhumps were found to occur near the start of a superoutburst, with a brightness increase of around 0.35 magnitude. [9] The properties of the system suggest a high mass transfer rate and the white dwarf component is hotter than in other typical dwarf novae. During periods of quiescence, the accretion rate is 7.3×10−11  M ·yr−1. [5]

References

  1. Zhao, Yinghe; Li, Zongyun; Wu, Xiaoan; Peng, Qiuhe; Zhang, Zhousheng; Li, Zili (April 2006), "Superhumps Behavior during Normal Outbursts in ER Ursae Majoris: Spectroscopy and Photometry", Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 58 (2): 367–373, arXiv: astro-ph/0602181 , Bibcode:2006PASJ...58..367Z, doi: 10.1093/pasj/58.2.367 , retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2021). "Gaia Early Data Release 3: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics . 649: A1. arXiv: 2012.01533 . Bibcode:2021A&A...649A...1G. doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202039657 . S2CID   227254300. (Erratum:  doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657e). Gaia EDR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. 1 2 3 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.
  4. Thorstensen, J. R.; et al. (April 1997), "Orbital Periods for the Unusual Dwarf Novae ER Ursae Majoris and V1159 Orionis", Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 109: 477–482, Bibcode:1997PASP..109..477T, doi: 10.1086/133904 , S2CID   121582607.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Guzman, Giannina; et al. (September 2019), "FUSE and IUE Spectroscopy of the Prototype Dwarf Nova ER Ursa Majoris During Quiescence", The Astronomical Journal, 158 (3): 99, arXiv: 1907.06513 , Bibcode:2019AJ....158...99G, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ab322f , S2CID   196622682, 99.
  6. "ER UMa". SIMBAD . Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg . Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  7. Green, R. F.; et al. (June 1982), "Cataclysmic variable candidates from the Palomar Green Survey", Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 94: 560-564, Bibcode:1982PASP...94..560G, doi:10.1086/131022, S2CID   120644760.
  8. Kato, Taichi; Kunjaya, Chatief (April 1995), "Discovery of a Peculiar SU UMa-Type Dwarf Nova ER Ursae Majoris", Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 47: 163–168, Bibcode:1995PASJ...47..163K.
  9. Kato, Taichi; et al. (February 1996), "Large-Amplitude Superhumps in ER Ursae Majoris during the Earliest Stage of a Superoutburst", Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 48: L5 –L7, Bibcode:1996PASJ...48L...5K, doi:10.1093/pasj/48.1.L5.

Further reading