RT Aurigae

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RT Aurigae
Auriga constellation map.svg
Red circle.svg
Location of RT Aur (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000       Equinox J2000
Constellation Auriga
Right ascension 06h 28m 34.08818s [1]
Declination +30° 29′ 34.9296″ [1]
Apparent magnitude  (V)5.75 [2] (5.00 - 5.82 [3] )
Characteristics
Spectral type F8Ib [4] (F4Ib - G4Ib [3] )
U−B color index 0.5 [5]
B−V color index 0.74 [2]
Variable type δ Cep [3]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)20.30 [6]  km/s
Proper motion (μ)RA: −0.492  mas/yr [1]
Dec.: −13.441  mas/yr [1]
Parallax (π)1.8153 ± 0.1222  mas [1]
Distance 1,540  ly
(473 [7]   pc)
Absolute magnitude  (MV)−3.09 [7]
Details
Mass 4.4 [8]   M☉
Radius 35.1 [7]   R☉
Luminosity 1,186 [9]   L☉
Surface gravity (log g)1.42 [8]   cgs
Temperature 6,151 [9]   K
Metallicity 0.1 [7]
Rotational velocity (v sin i)8.8 [10]  km/s
Age 85 [11]   Myr
Other designations
48  Aurigae, HD  45412, BD+30°1238, HIP  30827, SAO  59128, HR  2332
Database references
SIMBAD data
Data sources:
Hipparcos Catalogue,
CCDM (2002),
Bright Star Catalogue (5th rev. ed.)

RT Aurigae (RT Aur, 48 Aurigae) is a yellow supergiant variable star in the constellation Auriga, about 1,500 light years from Earth. Although its brightness is variable, it as consistently visible to the naked eye under good observing conditions.

A visual band light curve for RT Aurigae, adapted from Kiss (1998) RTAurLightCurve.png
A visual band light curve for RT Aurigae, adapted from Kiss (1998)

RT Aurigae is an F to G type Classical Cepheid variable which varies from magnitude +5.00 to +5.82 with a period of 3.728309 days. [7] The variability was discovered in 1905, by an English schoolmaster and amateur astronomer, Thomas Hinsley Astbury. [13] [14] It was quickly recognised as a member of the class of Cepheid variables, but their nature was not understood at that time. Radial velocity changes were detected corresponding to the brightness variations, but the idea that these were caused by stellar pulsations and temperature changes was largely dismissed in favour of orbital motions of a binary star. [15] More accurate observations eventually proved beyond doubt that the brightness variations were caused by pulsations in the atmospheres of the stars, with the stars being smallest and hottest near maximum brightness. [16]

RT Aurigae has been suspected to be a spectroscopic binary system, but this has not been confirmed. [17] [18] The strongest evidence was found in 2013 using CHARA array optical interferometry. The companion would be 6.7 magnitudes fainter than the supergiant primary, cooler and fainter than an F0 main sequence star. The two stars are separated by 2.1 milli-arc seconds. [19]

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References

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  13. ↑ Astbury, T. H. (May 1905). "Papers communicated to the Association. The Variable Star 48 Aurigæ". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 15: 270–273. Bibcode:1905JBAA...15..270A . Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  14. ↑ Shears, J. (April 2014). "Thomas Hinsley Astbury: from an English market town schoolroom to the internal constitution of the stars". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 124 (2): 81–91. Bibcode:2014JBAA..124...81S . Retrieved 30 November 2024.
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  19. ↑ Gallenne, A.; Mérand, A.; Kervella, P.; Monnier, J. D.; Schaefer, G. H.; Baron, F.; Breitfelder, J.; Le Bouquin, J. B.; Roettenbacher, R. M.; Gieren, W.; Pietrzyński, G.; McAlister, H.; Ten Brummelaar, T.; Sturmann, J.; Sturmann, L.; Turner, N.; Ridgway, S.; Kraus, S. (2015). "Robust high-contrast companion detection from interferometric observations. The CANDID algorithm and an application to six binary Cepheids". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 579: A68. arXiv: 1505.02715 . Bibcode:2015A&A...579A..68G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201525917. S2CID   1118066.
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