V4650 Sagittarii

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V4650 Sagittarii
Uncovering the secrets of the Quintuplet Cluster.jpg
V4650 Sgr is the very bright object just off the left edge of this image of the Quintuplet Cluster, with only its diffraction spikes visible.
Credit: HST\NIMCOS (WFC3)
Observation data
Epoch J2000       Equinox J2000
Constellation Sagittarius
Right ascension 17h 46m 17.982s [1]
Declination −28° 49′ 03.46″ [1]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage LBV
Apparent magnitude  (B)19.3 [1]
Apparent magnitude  (R)16.4 [1]
Apparent magnitude  (J)12.310 [1]
Apparent magnitude  (H)8.970 [1]
Apparent magnitude  (K)7.090 [1]
Variable type LBV [2]
Astrometry
Distance 8,000 [3]   pc
Details [3]
Mass 46  M☉
Radius 350  R☉
Luminosity 1,770,000 - 7,943,000 [4]   L☉
Temperature 11,300  K
Other designations
V4650  Sagittarii, qF  362, 2MASS  J17461798-2849034, SSTGC  629806
Database references
SIMBAD data

V4650 Sagittarii (qF362) is a luminous blue variable star (LBV) in the constellation of Sagittarius. Located some 25,000 light years away, the star is positioned on the edge of a starburst cluster known as the Quintuplet cluster.

Contents

Discovery

Quintuplet cluster region, with V4650 Sgr to the left of the Pistol Nebula (annotated in full-size image) Quintuplet cluster region (1002.3379).jpg
Quintuplet cluster region, with V4650 Sgr to the left of the Pistol Nebula (annotated in full-size image)

V4650 Sgr was first catalogued in 1996 as star 362 in a list of stars in the galactic centre region near the Quintuplet Cluster. [5] The acronym qF is used for stars in the list and so the star name is qF 362. The acronym FMM is also used, hence FMM 362. [6] The LBV nature of qF 362 was not recognised until 1999. [7] It is one of three LBVs close to the Quintuplet Cluster, all highly luminous stars. [8]

V4650 was discovered using infrared telescopes. It is extremely faint at optical wavelengths due to interstellar extinction. The 2MASS survey recorded it at 17th magnitude in red light and 19th magnitude in blue light, while it is a 7th magnitude object in K band infrared. [1]

Properties

A near-infrared (K band) light curve for V4650 Sagittarii, adapted from Glass et al. (1999) V4650SgrLightCurve.png
A near-infrared (K band) light curve for V4650 Sagittarii, adapted from Glass et al. (1999)

V4650 Sgr is calculated to be one of the most luminous stars known, at 1,700,000 L☉ to 7,943,000 L☉. It is considered to be a bona-fide luminous blue variable, although it has not been observed to change temperature from the S Doradus minimum strip to a cooler outburst state. [9] The infrared brightness has varied between magnitude 7.0 and 7.9. [2] It is calculated to have a temperature of 11,300 K and a radius of 350 R☉. Unlike both the two nearby LBVs, V4650 Sgr has no detectable associated nebulosity. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pistol Star</span> Hypergiant star in Sagittarius

The Pistol Star is an extremely luminous blue hypergiant star, one of the most luminous and massive known in the Milky Way. It is one of many massive young stars in the Quintuplet cluster in the Galactic Center region. The star owes its name to the shape of the Pistol Nebula, which it illuminates. It is located approximately 25,000 light-years from Earth in the direction of Sagittarius. The star has a large mass comparable to V4998 Sagittarii and a luminosity 3.3 million times that of the Sun (L☉). It would be visible to the naked eye as a 4th-magnitude star if it were not for the interstellar dust near the Center of the Milky Way that absorbs almost all of its visible light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S Doradus</span> Star in the Large Magellanic Cloud

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luminous blue variable</span> Type of star that is luminous, blue, and variable in brightness

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 extraordinarily rare, with just 20 objects listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars as SDor, and a number of these are no longer considered LBVs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LBV 1806−20</span> Likely binary star in the constellation Sagittarius

LBV 1806−20 is a candidate luminous blue variable (LBV) and likely binary star located around 28,000 light-years (8,700 pc) from the Sun, towards the center of the Milky Way. It has an estimated mass of around 36 solar masses and an estimated variable luminosity of around two million times that of the Sun. It is highly luminous but is invisible from the Solar System at visual wavelengths because less than one billionth of its visible light reaches us.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AG Carinae</span> Luminous variable star in the constellation Carina

AG Carinae is a star in the constellation Carina. It is classified as a luminous blue variable (LBV) and is one of the most luminous stars in the Milky Way. The great distance and intervening dust mean that the star is not usually visible to the naked eye; its apparent brightness varies erratically between magnitude 5.7 and 9.0.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus OB2-12</span> Blue hypergiant star

Cygnus OB2 #12 is an extremely luminous blue hypergiant with an absolute bolometric magnitude of −10.9, among the most luminous stars known in the galaxy. This makes the star nearly two million times more luminous than the Sun, although estimates were even higher when the star was first discovered. It is now known to be a binary, with the companion approximately a tenth as bright. A very approximate initial estimate of the orbit gives the total system mass as 120 M☉ and the period as 30 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quintuplet cluster</span> Dense star cluster of massive young stars in the constellation of Sagittarius

The Quintuplet cluster is a dense cluster of massive young stars about 100 light years from the Galactic Center (GC). Its name comes from the fact it has five prominent infrared sources residing in it. Along with the Arches Cluster it is one of two in the immediate GC region. Due to heavy extinction by dust in the vicinity, it is invisible to optical observation and must be studied in the X-ray, radio, and infrared bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HR Carinae</span> Star in the constellation Carina

HR Carinae is a luminous blue variable star located in the constellation Carina. It is surrounded by a vast nebula of ejected nuclear-processed material because this star has a multiple shell expanding atmosphere. This star is among the most luminous stars in the Milky Way. It has very broad emission wings on the Balmer lines, reminiscent from the broad lines observed in the spectra of O and Wolf–Rayet stars. A distance of 5 kpc and a bolometric magnitude of -9.4 put HR Car among the most luminous stars of the galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypergiant</span> Rare star with tremendous luminosity and high rates of mass loss by stellar winds

A hypergiant (luminosity class 0 or Ia+) is a very rare type of star that has an extremely high luminosity, mass, size and mass loss because of its extreme stellar winds. The term hypergiant is defined as luminosity class 0 (zero) in the MKK system. However, this is rarely seen in literature or in published spectral classifications, except for specific well-defined groups such as the yellow hypergiants, RSG (red supergiants), or blue B(e) supergiants with emission spectra. More commonly, hypergiants are classed as Ia-0 or Ia+, but red supergiants are rarely assigned these spectral classifications. Astronomers are interested in these stars because they relate to understanding stellar evolution, especially star formation, stability, and their expected demise as supernovae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wray 17-96</span> Star in Scorpius

Wray 17-96 is a very luminous star in the Scorpius constellation, about 20,000 light-years (7 kpc) away. It is a suspected luminous blue variable (LBV), although it has not shown the characteristic spectral variations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HD 168625</span> Star in the constellation Sagittarius

HD 168625 is a blue hypergiant star and candidate luminous blue variable located in the constellation of Sagittarius easy to see with amateur telescopes. It forms a visual pair with the also blue hypergiant HD 168607 and is located to the south-east of M17, the Omega Nebula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HD 168607</span> Star in the constellation Sagittarius

HD 168607 is a blue hypergiant and luminous blue variable (LBV) star located in the constellation of Sagittarius, easy to see with amateur telescopes. It forms a pair with HD 168625, also a blue hypergiant and possible luminous blue variable, that can be seen at the south-east of M17, the Omega Nebula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 24</span> Wolf-Rayet star in the constellation Carina

WR 24 is a Wolf-Rayet star in the constellation Carina. It is one of the most luminous stars known. At the edge of naked eye visibility it is also one of the brightest Wolf Rayet stars in the sky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AE Andromedae</span> Star in the constellation Andromeda

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HD 160529</span> Luminous blue variable star in the constellation Scorpius

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">V4998 Sagittarii</span> Luminous blue variable star in the constellation Sagittarius

V4998 Sagittarii is a luminous blue variable star (LBV) in the constellation of Sagittarius. Located some 25,000 light-years away, the star is positioned about 7 pc away from a starburst cluster known as the Quintuplet cluster. It has an ejection nebula measuring over 0.8 pc in diameter, formed 5000-10,000 years ago through large eruptions. The star has a large mass comparable to the Pistol Star and a luminosity of around 4 million times the Sun (L☉). This places the star as one of the most massive and luminous stars known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HD 316285</span> Star in the constellation Sagittarius

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCIRS 16SW</span> Binary star in the Galactic Center in the constellation Sagittarius

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westerlund 1-243</span> Luminous blue variable star undergoing an eruptive phase in Westerlund 1

Westerlund 1-243 or Wd 1-243 is a luminous blue variable (LBV) star undergoing an eruptive phase located within the outskirts of the super star cluster Westerlund 1. Located about 13,400 ly (4,100 pc) from Earth, it has a luminosity of 0.73 million L☉ making it one of the most luminous stars known.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cutri, Roc M.; Skrutskie, Michael F.; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Beichman, Charles A.; Carpenter, John M.; Chester, Thomas; Cambresy, Laurent; Evans, Tracey E.; Fowler, John W.; Gizis, John E.; Howard, Elizabeth V.; Huchra, John P.; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Kopan, Eugene L.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Light, Robert M.; Marsh, Kenneth A.; McCallon, Howard L.; Schneider, Stephen E.; Stiening, Rae; Sykes, Matthew J.; Weinberg, Martin D.; Wheaton, William A.; Wheelock, Sherry L.; Zacarias, N. (2003). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: 2MASS All-Sky Catalog of Point Sources (Cutri+ 2003)". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues. 2246: II/246. Bibcode:2003yCat.2246....0C.
  2. 1 2 Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
  3. 1 2 Najarro, F.; Figer, D. F.; Hillier, D. J.; Geballe, T. R.; Kudritzki, R. P. (2009). "Metallicity in the Galactic Center: The Quintuplet Cluster". The Astrophysical Journal. 691 (2): 1816–1827. arXiv: 0809.3185 . Bibcode:2009ApJ...691.1816N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/691/2/1816. S2CID   15473563.
  4. ↑ Mauerhan, J. C.; Morris, M. R.; Cotera, A.; Dong, H.; Wang, Q. D.; Stolovy, S. R.; Lang, C.; Glass, I. S. (2010). "Discovery of a Luminous Blue Variable with an Ejection Nebula Near the Quintuplet Cluster". The Astrophysical Journal. 713 (1): L33–L36. arXiv: 1002.3379 . Bibcode:2010ApJ...713L..33M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/713/1/L33. S2CID   42696538.
  5. ↑ Figer, Donald F.; Morris, Mark; McLean, Ian S. (1996). "Hot Stars in the Quintuplet". The Galactic Center. 102: 263. Bibcode:1996ASPC..102..263F.
  6. 1 2 Glass, I. S.; Matsumoto, S.; Carter, B. S.; Sekiguchi, K. (1999). "Luminous variables in the Quintuplet cluster". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 304 (1): L10–L14. Bibcode:1999MNRAS.304L..10G. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02454.x .
  7. ↑ Figer, Donald F.; McLean, Ian S.; Morris, Mark (1999). "Massive Stars in the Quintuplet Cluster". The Astrophysical Journal. 514 (1): 202–220. arXiv: astro-ph/9903281 . Bibcode:1999ApJ...514..202F. doi:10.1086/306931. S2CID   15816020.
  8. 1 2 Lau, R. M.; Herter, T. L.; Morris, M. R.; Adams, J. D. (2014). "Nature versus Nurture: Luminous Blue Variable Nebulae in and near Massive Stellar Clusters at the Galactic Center". The Astrophysical Journal. 785 (2): 120. arXiv: 1403.5298 . Bibcode:2014ApJ...785..120L. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/785/2/120. S2CID   118447462.
  9. ↑ Nazé, Y.; Rauw, G.; Hutsemékers, D. (2012). "The first X-ray survey of Galactic luminous blue variables". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 538: A47. arXiv: 1111.6375 . Bibcode:2012A&A...538A..47N. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201118040. S2CID   43688343.
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