HD 37974
 Artist concept of the stars, sun and planets not drawn to scale | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Right ascension | 05h 36m 25.843s[1] |
| Declination | –69° 22′ 55.90″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.95[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | B0.5Ia+[3] |
| U−B color index | −0.88[2] |
| B−V color index | +0.15[2] |
| Variable type | LBV?[4][5] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | 258[6] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: -1.8[1] mas/yr Dec.: -15.1[1] mas/yr |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | −8.4[4] |
| Details[3] | |
| Mass | 70 M☉ |
| Luminosity | 1,400,000 L☉ |
| Temperature | 22,500 K |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
HD 37974 (or R 126) a variable B[e] hypergiant in the Large Magellanic Cloud. It is surrounded by an unexpected dust disk.
Properties
R126, formally RMC (Radcliffe observatory Magellanic Cloud) 126, is a massive luminous star with several unusual properties. It exhibits the B[e] phenomenon where forbidden emission lines appear in the spectrum due to extended circumstellar material. Its spectrum also shows normal (permitted) emission lines formed in denser material closer to the star, indicative of a power stellar wind.[7] The spectra include silicate and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features that suggest a dusty disc.[3]
The star itself is a hot supergiant thought to be seventy times more massive than the sun and over a million times more luminous. It has evolved away from the main sequence and is so luminous and large that it is losing material through its stellar wind over a billion times faster than the sun. It would lose more material than the sun contains in about 25,000 years.[8]
Dusty disc
The dust cloud around R126 is surprising because stars as massive as these were thought to be inhospitable to planet formation due to powerful stellar winds making it difficult for dust particles to condense. The nearby hypergiant HD 268835 shows similar features and is also likely to have a dusty disc, so R126 is not unique.[3]
The disc extends outwards for 60 times the size of Pluto's orbit around the sun, and probably contains as much material as the entire Kuiper Belt. It is unclear whether such a disc represents the first or last stages of the plant-forming process.[9]
Variability
The brightness of R126 varies in an unpredictable way by around 0.6 magnitudes over timescales of tens to hundreds of days. The faster variations are characteristic of α Cygni variables, irregular pulsating supergiants. The slower variations are accompanied by changes in the colour of the star, with it being redder when it is visually brighter, typical of the S Doradus phases of Luminous Blue Variables.[4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Høg, E.; Fabricius, C.; Makarov, V. V.; Urban, S.; Corbin, T.; Wycoff, G.; Bastian, U.; Schwekendiek, P.; Wicenec, A. (2000). "The Tycho-2 catalogue of the 2.5 million brightest stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics 355: L27. Bibcode:2000A&A...355L..27H.
- 1 2 3 Ducati, J. R. (2002). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: Catalogue of Stellar Photometry in Johnson's 11-color system". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues 2237. Bibcode:2002yCat.2237....0D.
- 1 2 3 4 Kastner, J. H.; Buchanan, C. L.; Sargent, B.; Forrest, W. J. (2006). "SpitzerSpectroscopy of Dusty Disks around B\e] Hypergiants in the Large Magellanic Cloud". The Astrophysical Journal 638: L29. Bibcode:2006ApJ...638L..29K. doi:10.1086/500804.
- 1 2 3 Van Genderen, A. M.; Sterken, C. (2002). "Light variations of massive stars (alpha Cyg variables). XVIII. The B[e] supergiants S 18 in the SMC and R 66 = HDE 268835 and R 126 = HD 37974 in the LMC". Astronomy and Astrophysics 386 (3): 926. Bibcode:2002A&A...386..926V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20020360.
- 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.
- ↑ Feast, M. W.; Thackeray, A. D.; Wesselink, A. J. (1960). "The brightest stars in the Magellanic Clouds". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 121 (4): 337. Bibcode:1960MNRAS.121..337F. doi:10.1093/mnras/121.4.337.
- ↑ Levato, H.; Miroshnichenko, A. S.; Saffe, C. (2014). "New objects with the B[e] phenomenon in the Large Magellanic Cloud". Astronomy & Astrophysics 568: A28. Bibcode:2014A&A...568A..28L. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201423846.
- ↑ Zsargó, J.; Hillier, D. J.; Georgiev, L. N. (2008). "Axi-symmetric models of B[e] supergiants. I. The effective temperature and mass-loss dependence of the hydrogen and helium ionization structure". Astronomy and Astrophysics 478 (2): 543. arXiv:0712.0870. Bibcode:2008A&A...478..543Z. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078293.
- ↑ NASA's Spitzer Uncovers Hints of Mega Solar Systems, Nasa.gov, accessed 11 Feb 2006
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