Sagitta is a dim but distinctive constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'arrow', not to be confused with the significantly larger constellation Sagittarius 'the archer'. It was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. Although it dates to antiquity, Sagitta has no star brighter than 3rd magnitude and has the third-smallest area of any constellation.
The Andromeda Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy and is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. It was originally named the Andromeda Nebula and is cataloged as Messier 31, M31, and NGC 224. Andromeda has a diameter of about 46.56 kiloparsecs and is approximately 765 kpc from Earth. The galaxy's name stems from the area of Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda, which itself is named after the princess who was the wife of Perseus in Greek mythology.
The Triangulum Galaxy is a spiral galaxy 2.73 million light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is catalogued as Messier 33 or NGC (New General Catalogue) 598. With the D25 isophotal diameter of 18.74 kiloparsecs (61,100 light-years), the Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, behind the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way.
V838 Monocerotis is a spectroscopic binary star system in the constellation Monoceros about 19,000 light years from the Sun. The previously unremarked star was observed in early 2002 experiencing a major outburst, and was one of the largest known stars for a short period following the outburst. Originally believed to be a typical nova eruption, it was then identified as the first of a new class of eruptive variables known as luminous red novae. The reason for the outburst is still uncertain, but is thought to have been a merger of two stars within a triple system.
S Doradus is one of the brightest stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, located roughly 160,000 light-years away. The star is a luminous blue variable, and one of the most luminous stars known, having a luminosity varying widely above and below 1,000,000 times the luminosity of the Sun, although it is too far away to be seen with the naked eye.
Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are massive evolved stars that show unpredictable and sometimes dramatic variations in their spectra and brightness. They are also known as S Doradus variables after S Doradus, one of the brightest stars of the Large Magellanic Cloud. They are considered to be rare.
GK Persei was a bright nova first observed on Earth in 1901. It was discovered by Thomas David Anderson, an Edinburgh clergyman, at 02:40 UT on 22 February 1901 when it was at magnitude 2.7. It reached a maximum magnitude of 0.2, the brightest nova of modern times until Nova Aquilae 1918. After fading into obscurity at about magnitude 12 to 13 during the early 20th century, GK Persei began displaying infrequent outbursts of 2 to 3 magnitudes. Since about 1980, these outbursts have become quite regular, typically lasting about two months and occurring about every three years. Thus, GK Persei seems to have changed from a classical nova like Nova Aquilae 1918 to something resembling a typical dwarf nova-type cataclysmic variable star.
T Coronae Borealis, is a recurring nova in the constellation Corona Borealis. It was first discovered in outburst in 1866 by John Birmingham, although it had been observed earlier as a 10th magnitude star.
V838 Herculis, also known as Nova Herculis 1991, was a nova which occurred in the constellation Hercules in 1991. It was discovered by George Alcock of Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, England at 4:35 UT on the morning of 25 March 1991. He found it with 10×50 binoculars, and on that morning its apparent visual magnitude was 5. Palomar Sky Survey plates showed that before the outburst, the star was at photographic magnitude 20.6 and 18.25.
Chi Virginis is a double star in the constellation Virgo. Based upon parallax measurements, it is approximately 315 light-years from Earth. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.65, which is bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye under suitable viewing conditions.
Theta Cygni is a star in the northern constellation of Cygnus. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.5, so it can be seen from the northern hemisphere with the naked eye in sufficiently dark skies. Based upon parallax measurements, it is at a distance of about 59.8 light-years from the Earth. It is suspected of hosting an extrasolar planet.
HR 3643 is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Carina. It has the Bayer designation G Carinae, with HR 3643 being the star's designation in the Bright Star Catalogue. The system is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.48. It is located at a distance of approximately 401 light years from the Sun based on parallax, and is drifting further away with a radial velocity of +22.5 km/s.
A luminous red nova is a stellar explosion thought to be caused by the merging of two stars. They are characterised by a distinct red colour, and a light curve that fades slowly with resurgent brightness in the infrared. Luminous red novae are not related to standard novae, which are explosions that occur on the surface of white dwarf stars.
Gamma Microscopii is the brightest star in the faint southern constellation of Microscopium. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.68, which is too dim to be viewed from city skies. The distance to this star has been determined using parallax measurements made with the Gaia telescope, which place it at 223 ± 8 light-years.
31 Leonis is a binary star system in the equatorial constellation of Leo. The system is visible to the naked eye in unresolved form, having a combined apparent visual magnitude of 4.39. An estimated distance of around 160 light years is obtained from the annual parallax shift of 20.44 mas as seen from Earth's orbit. It is moving away from the Sun with a radial velocity of +39.8 km/s.
AE Andromedae is a luminous blue variable (LBV), a type of variable star. The star is one of the most luminous variables in M31, the Andromeda Galaxy.
V1309 Scorpii is a contact binary that merged into a single star in 2008 in a process known as a luminous red nova. It was the first star to provide conclusive evidence that contact binary systems end their evolution in a stellar merger. Its similarities to V838 Monocerotis and V4332 Sagittarii allowed scientists to identify these stars as merged contact binaries as well.
HD 101584 is a suspected post-common envelope binary about 1,800 to 5,900 light-years distant in the constellation of Centaurus. The system is bright at optical wavelengths with an apparent visual magnitude of about 7. The primary is either a post-AGB star, but more likely a post-RGB star. The secondary is a red dwarf or possibly a low-luminosity white dwarf, which orbits the primary every 150-200 days. The system is surrounded by a slowly rotating circumbinary disk, probably with a face-on orientation towards the solar system and a size of about 150 astronomical units.
V4332 Sagittarii is a nova-like event in the constellation of Sagittarius. It was discovered February 24, 1994 at an apparent visual magnitude of 8.9 by Japanese amateur astronomer Minoru Yamamoto from Okazaki, Aichi, then confirmed by K. Hirosawa. Initially designated Nova Sagittarii 1994 #1, it was given the variable star designation V4332 Sgr. A spectra of the event taken March 4 lacked the characteristic features of a classical nova, with the only emission lines being of the Balmer series. Subsequent spectra showed a rapid decline in luminosity and a change of spectral type over a period of five days. By 2003, the object was ~1500 times less luminous than at peak magnitude and showed a spectrum of an M-type star.
AF Andromedae is a luminous blue variable (LBV), a type of variable star. The star is one of the most luminous variables in M31, the Andromeda Galaxy.
