A light curve for LS Canis Majoris from BRITE nanosatellite data, adapted from Ratajczak et al. (2019) [1] | |
Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Canis Major |
Right ascension | 07h 01m 05.94626s [2] |
Declination | −25° 12′ 56.2817″ [2] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 5.63 –5.79 [3] |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | B2/3III/IV [4] |
Variable type | Eclipsing binary [3] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | 6.0 [5] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: −4.638 [2] mas/yr Dec.: +5.332 [2] mas/yr |
Parallax (π) | 2.1591 ± 0.0613 mas [2] |
Distance | 1,510 ± 40 ly (460 ± 10 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | −2.04 [6] |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
LS Canis Majoris is an eclipsing binary star located around 1,510 light years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major. Its apparent magnitude ranges from 5.63 to 5.79, so it is faintly visible to the naked eye. The orbital period of binary pair and the period of light variation is 70.048 days. [1]
The star's variability was first detected in the Hipparcos satellite data, and it was given its variable star designation in 1999. [8]
W Ursae Majoris is the variable star designation for a binary star system in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. It has an apparent visual magnitude of about 7.9, which is too faint to be seen with the naked eye. However, it can be viewed with a small telescope. Parallax measurements place it at a distance of roughly 169 light years (52 parsecs) from Earth.
Gamma Canis Majoris, also named Muliphein, is a star in the constellation of Canis Major. It is unclear exactly why this relatively faint star was given the 'gamma' designation, but possibly because it is in the same part of the constellation as Sirius (alpha) and Mirzam (beta).
Zeta Canis Majoris, or ζ Canis Majoris, also named Furud, is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Canis Major. This system has an apparent visual magnitude of +3.0, making it one of the brighter stars in the constellation and hence readily visible to the naked eye. Parallax measurements from the Hipparcos mission yield a distance estimate of around 362 ly (111 pc) from the Sun. It is drifting further away with a radial velocity of +32 km/s.
Iota Canis Majoris, Latinized from ι Canis Majoris, is a solitary variable supergiant star in the southern constellation of Canis Major. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude that varies between +4.36 and +4.40. The distance to this star is approximately 2,500 light years based on spectroscopic measurements. It is drifting further away with a radial velocity of +42 km/s.
Xi2 Canis Majoris, which is Latinized from ξ2 Canis Majoris, is an astrometric binary star system in the southern constellation of Canis Major. With an apparent visual magnitude of +4.54, it is visible to the naked eye. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 8.35 mas, the system is approximately 390 light years distant from Earth. It is receding with a radial velocity of +26 km/s.
Omicron1 Canis Majoris is a red supergiant star in the constellation Canis Major. It is also a variable star.
10 Canis Majoris is a single variable star in the southern constellation of Canis Major, located roughly 1,980 light years away from the Sun. It has the variable star designation FT Canis Majoris; 10 Canis Majoris is the Flamsteed designation. This body is visible to the naked eye as a faint, blue-white hued star with a baseline apparent visual magnitude of 5.23. It is moving away from the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of +34 km/s.
26 Canis Majoris is a variable star in the southern constellation of Canis Major, located around 1,010 light years away from the Sun. It has the variable star designation MM Canis Majoris; 26 Canis Majoris is the Flamsteed designation. This object is visible to the naked eye as a dim, blue-white hued star with a baseline apparent visual magnitude of 5.89. It is moving further from the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of +22 km/s.
UW Canis Majoris is a star in the constellation Canis Major. It is classified as a Beta Lyrae eclipsing contact binary and given the variable star designation UW Canis Majoris. Its brightness varies from magnitude +4.84 to +5.33 with a period of 4.39 days. Bode had initially labelled it as Tau2 Canis Majoris, but this designation had been dropped by Gould and subsequent authors.
Pi Puppis, Latinized from π Puppis, also named Ahadi, is the second-brightest star in the southern constellation of Puppis. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 2.733, so it can be viewed with the naked eye at night. Parallax measurements yield an estimated distance of roughly 810 light-years from the Earth. This is a double star with a magnitude 6.86 companion at an angular separation of 0.72 arcsecond and a position angle of 148° from the brighter primary.
1 Vulpeculae is a class B4IV star in the constellation Vulpecula. Its apparent magnitude is 4.77 and it is approximately 780 light years away based on parallax.
DL Crucis is a variable star in the constellation Crux.
NR Canis Majoris is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Canis Major, located to the east of Sirius and Gamma Canis Majoris near the constellation border with Puppis. It has a yellow-white hue and is dimly visible to the naked eye with a combined apparent visual magnitude that fluctuates around 5.60. It is located at a distance of approximately 297 light years from the Sun based on parallax. The system is drifting closer to the Sun with a radial velocity of −29 km/s, and in about three million years it is predicted to approach within 14.1+4.7
−4.0 ly. At that time, the star will become the brightest in the night sky, potentially reaching magnitude −0.88.
Mu Canis Majoris is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Canis Major. The pair can be located a little to the southwest of the point midway between Gamma and Theta Canis Majoris, and the components can be split with a small telescope. The system is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.12. Based upon an annual parallax shift of just 2.62 mas as seen from Earth, this system is located roughly 1,200 light years from the Sun.
Omicron Puppis (ο Puppis) is candidate binary star system in the southern constellation of Puppis. It is visible to the naked eye, having a combined apparent visual magnitude of +4.48. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 2.30 mas as seen from Earth, it is located roughly 1,400 light years from the Sun.
BU Canis Minoris is a quadruple star system in the equatorial constellation of Canis Minor. It has the Henry Draper Catalogue designation of HD 65241, while BU Canis Minoris is its variable star designation. The system is a challenge to view with the naked eye, having a peak apparent visual magnitude of 6.42. It is located at a distance of approximately 700 light years from the Sun based on parallax, and is drifting further away with a radial velocity of about +34 km/s.
65 Ursae Majoris, abbreviated as 65 UMa, is a star system in the constellation of Ursa Major. With a combined apparent magnitude of about 6.5, it is at the limit of human eyesight and is just barely visible to the naked eye in ideal conditions. It is about 760 light years away from Earth.
SU Ursae Majoris, or SU UMa, is a close binary star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major. It is a periodic cataclysmic variable that varies in magnitude from a peak of 10.8 down to a base of 14.96. The distance to this system, as determined from its annual parallax shift of 4.53 mas, is 719 light-years. It is moving further from the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of +27 km/s.
TX Ursae Majoris is an eclipsing binary star system in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major. With a combined apparent visual magnitude of 6.97, the system is too faint to be readily viewed with the naked eye. The pair orbit each other with a period of 3.063 days in a circular orbit, with their orbital plane aligned close to the line of sight from the Earth. During the primary eclipse, the net brightness decreases by 1.74 magnitudes, while the secondary eclipse results in a drop of just 0.07 magnitude. TX UMa is located at a distance of approximately 780 light years from the Sun based on parallax measurements, but is drifting closer with a mean radial velocity of −13 km/s.
AW Ursae Majoris is a binary star system in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major, abbreviated AW UMa. It is an A-type W Ursae Majoris variable with an apparent visual magnitude of 6.83, which is near the lower limit of visibility to the naked eye. This is an eclipsing binary with the brightness dropping to magnitude 7.13 during the primary eclipse and to 7.08 with the secondary eclipse. Parallax measurements give a distance estimate of 221 light years from the Sun. It is drifting closer to the Sun with a radial velocity of approximately −17 km/s. The system has a high proper motion, traversing the celestial sphere at the rate of 0.216 arc second per annum.