V Centauri

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V Centauri
VCenLightCurve.png
A light curve for V Centauri, plotted from Hipparcos data [1]
Observation data
Epoch J2000        Equinox J2000
Constellation Centaurus
Right ascension 14h 32m 33.0833s [2]
Declination −56° 53 15.774 [2]
Apparent magnitude  (V)6.42 - 7.22 [3]
Characteristics
Spectral type F5 Ib/II [4]
B−V color index 0.87 [5]
Variable type Classical Cepheid [3]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−18.90 ± 1.4 [6] km/s
Proper motion (μ)RA: −6.697 [2] mas/yr
Dec.: −7.068 [2] mas/yr
Parallax (π)1.3898±0.0221  mas [2]
Distance 2,350 ± 40  ly
(720 ± 10  pc)
Details
Mass 4.3 [7]   M
Radius 40 [2]   R
Luminosity 1,657 [8]   L
Surface gravity (log g)1.89 [2]   cgs
Temperature 5,500 [8]   K
Metallicity [Fe/H]+0.12 [9]   dex
Age 103 [10]   Myr
Other designations
V Cen, CD−56°5479, HD 127297, HIP 71116, HR 5421, SAO 241777 [5]
Database references
SIMBAD data

V Centauri (V Cen) is a Classical Cepheid variable, a type of variable star, in the constellation Centaurus. It is approximately 2,350 light-years (720 parsecs) away based on parallax.

Alexander W. Roberts discovered this star in 1894, and from 267 visual observations he determined is period of variation. [11] V Centauri varies regularly between visual magnitudes 6.42 and 7.22 every 5.5 days. It is classified as a Cepheid variable on the basis of its light variations, with the brightness increase from minimum to maximum taking only a third of the time of the decrease from maximum to minimum. Cepheids are pulsating variable stars and V Centauri expands and contracts over its pulsation cycle as well as changing temperature. [3]

According to the South African Astronomical Observatory, the chemical composition was derived as being high in sodium (Na) and aluminium (Al) and low in magnesium (Mg). [12] Following a normal composition for a Cepheid star, V Cen does not have any unusual characteristics. V Centauri's composition was observed alongside six other Classical Cepheid variable stars with the support of Russian, Chilean, and Ukrainian observatories. [12]

References

  1. "Hipparcos Tools Interactive Data Access". Hipparcos. ESA. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv: 2208.00211 . Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202243940 . S2CID   244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. 1 2 3 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: B/gcvs. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
  4. Houk, N.; Cowley, A. P. (1975). "University of Michigan Catalogue of two-dimensional spectral types for the HD stars. Volume I. Declinations -90°.0 to -53°.0". Michigan Catalogue of Two-dimensional Spectral Types for the HD Stars. 1. Bibcode:1975mcts.book.....H.
  5. 1 2 "V* V Cen". SIMBAD . Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg.
  6. Gontcharov, G. A. (2006). "Pulkovo Compilation of Radial Velocities for 35 495 Hipparcos stars in a common system". Astronomy Letters. 32 (11): 759–771. arXiv: 1606.08053 . Bibcode:2006AstL...32..759G. doi:10.1134/S1063773706110065. S2CID   119231169.
  7. Marconi, Marcella; et al. (July 2020). "Predicted Masses of Galactic Cepheids in the Gaia Data Release 2". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 898 (1): L7. arXiv: 2006.16610 . Bibcode:2020ApJ...898L...7M. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aba12b . S2CID   220265392. L7.
  8. 1 2 Groenewegen, M. A. T. (2020). "Analysing the spectral energy distributions of Galactic classical Cepheids". Astronomy and Astrophysics . 635: A33. arXiv: 2002.02186 . Bibcode:2020A&A...635A..33G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201937060. S2CID   211043995.
  9. Ripepi, V.; Catanzaro, G.; Clementini, G.; De Somma, G.; Drimmel, R.; Leccia, S.; Marconi, M.; Molinaro, R.; Musella, I.; Poggio, E. (2022). "Classical Cepheid period-Wesenheit-metallicity relation in the Gaia bands". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 659: A167. arXiv: 2201.01126 . Bibcode:2022A&A...659A.167R. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202142649. S2CID   245668845.
  10. Skowron, D. M.; Skowron, J.; Mróz, P.; Udalski, A.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Soszyński, I.; Szymański, M. K.; Poleski, R.; Kozłowski, S.; Ulaczyk, K.; Rybicki, K.; Iwanek, P.; . Wrona, M.; Gromadzki, M. (2019). "Mapping the Northern Galactic Disk Warp with Classical Cepheids". Acta Astronomica. 69 (4): 305. arXiv: 1912.11142 . Bibcode:2019AcA....69..305S. doi:10.32023/0001-5237/69.4.1. S2CID   209460868.
  11. Voûte, J. (1927). "V Centauri". Annals of the Bosscha Observatory Lembang (Java) Indonesia. 2: B42 –B45. Bibcode:1927AnBos...2B..42V . Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  12. 1 2 Usenko, I. A.; Kniazev, A. Yu; Berdnikov, L. N.; Kravtsov, V. V.; Fokin, A. B. (2013-07-01). "Spectroscopic studies of southern-hemisphere Cepheids: Six objects in Centaurus (V Cen, V737 Cen) and Sagittarius (BB Sgr, W Sgr, X Sgr, Y Sgr)". Astronomy Letters. 39 (7): 432–445. Bibcode:2013AstL...39..432U. doi:10.1134/S1063773713070074. ISSN   1063-7737. S2CID   121213614.