Mu Aurigae

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Mu Aurigae
Location of μ Aurigae (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Auriga[1]
Right ascension 05h 13m 25.722s[2]
Declination +38° 29′ 04.20″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) +4.88[3]
Characteristics
Spectral type A4 Vm[4][5] (kA3hA8VmA8[6])
U−B color index +0.10[3]
B−V color index +0.18[3]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)+26.0±1.2[7] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −20.673 mas/yr[2]
Dec.: −75.488 mas/yr[2]
Parallax (π)20.1016±0.5023 mas[2]
Distance162 ± 4 ly
(50 ± 1 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)+1.47[1]
Details
Mass1.90±0.30[8] M☉
Radius2.53±0.09[8] R☉
Luminosity22.8±1.2[8] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)3.91±0.08[8] cgs
Temperature7,931±126[8] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]−0.3[9] dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)80.0[9] km/s
Age560[10] Myr
Other designations
μ Aur, 11 Aurigae, BD+38°1063, FK5 192, GC 6375, HD 33641, HIP 24340, HR 1689, SAO 57755, PPM 70052, WDS J05134+3829AB[11]
Database references
SIMBADdata

Mu Aurigae is a candidate binary star[12] system in the northern constellation of Auriga. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from μ Aurigae, and abbreviated Mu Aur or μ Aur. This star is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.88.[3] Based upon an annual parallax shift of 20.10 mas as seen from Earth,[2] it is located approximately 162 light-years from the Sun. This system is drifting further away with a radial velocity of +26 km/s.[7]

This is an A-type main-sequence star with a stellar classification of A4 Vm;[5] the 'm' suffix indicating that abnormal abundances of heavier elements appear in the star's spectrum, making this an Am star. It is 560[10] million years old with a projected rotational velocity of 80 km/s.[9] This star has 1.90 the mass of the Sun and 2.5 times the Sun's radius. It is radiating 23 times the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 7,931 K.[8]

A very close companion has been reported using speckle interferometry,[12] but this remains unconfirmed. The separation at discovery in 1986 was 0.07 mas and it was measured at 0.066 mas in 1999. It was catalogued by Hipparcos as a problem binary, indicating that the measurements of its position were not consistent with the motion of a single star, and no satisfactory orbit could be found to match the motion.[12]

Name

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This star, along with λ Aur and σ Aur, were Kazwini's Al Ḣibāʽ (ألحباع), the Tent.[13] According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum 33-507 - A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Al Ḣibāʽ were the title for three stars: λ Aur as Al Ḣibāʽ I, μ Aur as Al Ḣibāʽ II and σ Aur as Al Ḣibāʽ III.[14]

In Chinese, 天潢 (Tiān Guāng), meaning Celestial Pier, refers to an asterism consisting of μ Aurigae, 19 Aurigae, φ Aurigae, 14 Aurigae and σ Aurigae.[15] Consequently, μ Aurigae itself is known as 天潢五 (Tiān Guāng wu, English: the First Star of Celestial Pier).[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b Anderson, E.; Francis, Ch. (2012), "XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation", Astronomy Letters, 38 (5): 331, arXiv:1108.4971, Bibcode:2012AstL...38..331A, doi:10.1134/S1063773712050015. XHIP record for this object at VizieR.
  2. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b c d Johnson, H. L.; et al. (1966), "UBVRIJKL photometry of the bright stars", Communications of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, 4 (99): 99, Bibcode:1966CoLPL...4...99J.
  4. ^ Royer, F.; et al. (October 2002), "Rotational velocities of A-type stars in the northern hemisphere. II. Measurement of v sin i", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 393: 897–911, arXiv:astro-ph/0205255, Bibcode:2002A&A...393..897R, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20020943, S2CID 14070763.
  5. ^ a b Eggleton, P. P.; Tokovinin, A. A. (September 2008), "A catalogue of multiplicity among bright stellar systems", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 389 (2): 869–879, arXiv:0806.2878, Bibcode:2008MNRAS.389..869E, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13596.x, S2CID 14878976.
  6. ^ Abt, Helmut A.; Morrell, Nidia I. (1995), "The Relation between Rotational Velocities and Spectral Peculiarities among A-Type Stars", The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 99: 135, Bibcode:1995ApJS...99..135A, doi:10.1086/192182.
  7. ^ a b de Bruijne, J. H. J.; Eilers, A.-C. (October 2012), "Radial velocities for the HIPPARCOS-Gaia Hundred-Thousand-Proper-Motion project", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 546: 14, arXiv:1208.3048, Bibcode:2012A&A...546A..61D, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219219, S2CID 59451347, A61.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Stassun, Keivan G.; et al. (September 9, 2019), "The Revised TESS Input Catalog and Candidate Target List", The Astronomical Journal, 158 (4): 138, arXiv:1905.10694, Bibcode:2019AJ....158..138S, doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab3467, eISSN 1538-3881.
  9. ^ a b c Gebran, M.; et al. (2016), "A new method for the inversion of atmospheric parameters of A/Am stars", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 589: A83, arXiv:1603.01146, Bibcode:2016A&A...589A..83G, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201528052, S2CID 118549566.
  10. ^ a b De Rosa, R. J.; et al. (January 2014), "The VAST Survey - III. The multiplicity of A-type stars within 75 pc", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 437 (2): 1216–1240, arXiv:1311.7141, Bibcode:2014MNRAS.437.1216D, doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1932, S2CID 88503488.
  11. ^ "mu Aur", SIMBAD, Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg, retrieved 2022-02-08.
  12. ^ a b c Mason, Brian D.; et al. (1999), "Speckle Interferometry of New and Problem HIPPARCOS Binaries", The Astronomical Journal, 117 (4): 1890, Bibcode:1999AJ....117.1890M, doi:10.1086/300823.
  13. ^ Allen, R. H. (1963), Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Reprint ed.), New York, NY: Dover Publications Inc, p. 91, ISBN 0-486-21079-0, retrieved 2010-12-12.{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)
  14. ^ Rhoads, Jack W. (November 15, 1971), Technical Memorandum 33-507-A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, retrieved 2025-05-14.
  15. ^ (in Chinese) 中國星座神話, written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, ISBN 978-986-7332-25-7.
  16. ^ (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 13 日 Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
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