Alpha Pictoris (α Pic, α Pictoris) is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Pictor. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 3.27,[2] which is bright enough to be viewed from urban areas in the southern hemisphere. This star is close enough for its distance to be measured using parallax shifts, which yields a value of roughly 97 light-years (30 parsecs) from the Sun, with a 5% margin of error.[1] Alpha Pictoris has the distinction of being the south pole star of the planet Mercury.[14]
  | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pictor |
| Right ascension | 06h 48m 11.45512s[1] |
| Declination | −61° 56′ 29.0008″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 3.27[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | A8 Vn kA6[3] |
| U−B color index | +0.13[2] |
| B−V color index | +0.21[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +20.6[4] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: –66.07[1] mas/yr Dec.: +242.97[1] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 33.78 ± 1.78 mas[1] |
| Distance | 97 ± 5 ly (30 ± 2 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | 0.86[5] |
| Orbit[6] | |
| Period (P) | 1618+1407 −325 days |
| Semi-major axis (a) | 36+15 −2 mas |
| Eccentricity (e) | 0.39+0.35 −0.17 |
| Inclination (i) | 118±3° |
| Longitude of the node (Ω) | 24±5° |
| Periastron epoch (T) | 953+707 −640 |
| Argument of periastron (ω) (secondary) | 92+22 −44° |
| Details | |
| Mass | 2.04[5] M☉ |
| Radius | 1.6[7] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 13[8] L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 3.48[9] cgs |
| Temperature | 7530[9] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | –0.11[3] dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 206[10] km/s |
| Age | 660[11][12] Myr |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Properties
editWith an estimated age of 660 million years,[11][12] this is a relatively young Lambda Boötis star.[15] The stellar classification of A8 Vn kA6[3] shows this peculiarity, with the kA6 notation indicating weaker than normal calcium K-lines in the spectrum. The 'n' following the main sequence luminosity class of V indicates the absorption lines in the spectrum are broad and nebulous. This is caused by the rapid spin of the star, which has a high projected rotational velocity of 206 km/s.[10] Spectroscopy shows narrow, time-varying absorption features being caused by circumstellar gas moving toward the star. This is not the result of interstellar matter, but a shell of gas along the orbital plane. Alpha Pictoris is categorized as a rapidly rotating shell star that may have recently ejected mass from its outer atmosphere.[9][16]
Alpha Pictoris is larger than the Sun, with twice[5] the mass and a 60% greater radius.[7] It is radiating 13[8] times as much luminosity as the Sun from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 7530 K.[9] At this heat, the star glows with the white hue of an A-type star.[17] The space velocity components of this star in the galactic coordinate system are U = -22, V = -20 and W = -9 km/s.[18]
Data from the Hipparcos mission indicate this may be an unresolved binary system with a companion orbiting at a semimajor axis of around 1 AU, or the same distance that the Earth orbits from the Sun.[15] Alpha Pictoris is an X-ray source, which is unusual for an A-type star since stellar models don't predict them to have magnetic dynamos. This emission may instead be originating from the companion.[9][19]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f van Leeuwen, F. (November 2007), "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 474 (2): 653–664, arXiv:0708.1752, Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357, S2CID 18759600
- ^ a b c d Johnson, H. L.; Iriarte, B.; Mitchell, R. I.; Wisniewskj, W. Z. (1966). "UBVRIJKL photometry of the bright stars". Communications of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. 4: 99–110. Bibcode:1966CoLPL...4...99J.
- ^ a b c Gray, R. O.; et al. (July 2006), "Contributions to the Nearby Stars (NStars) Project: Spectroscopy of Stars Earlier than M0 within 40 parsecs: The Northern Sample I", The Astronomical Journal, 132 (1): 161–170, arXiv:astro-ph/0603770, Bibcode:2006AJ....132..161G, doi:10.1086/504637, S2CID 119476992
- ^ Wilson, R. E. (1953). "General Catalogue of Stellar Radial". Carnegie Institute Washington D.C. Publication. Washington D.C.: Carnegie Institution Publication 601. Bibcode:1953GCRV..C......0W.
- ^ a b c Pizzolato, N.; Maggio, A.; Sciortino, S. (September 2000), "Evolution of X-ray activity of 1-3 Msun late-type stars in early post-main-sequence phases", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 361: 614–628, Bibcode:2000A&A...361..614P
- ^ Goldin, A.; Makarov, V. V. (September 2006), "Unconstrained Astrometric Orbits for Hipparcos Stars with Stochastic Solutions", The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 166 (1): 341–350, arXiv:astro-ph/0606293, Bibcode:2006ApJS..166..341G, doi:10.1086/505939, S2CID 15673734
- ^ a b Pasinetti Fracassini, L. E.; Pastori, L.; Covino, S.; Pozzi, A. (February 2001). "Catalogue of Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (CADARS) - Third edition - Comments and statistics". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 367 (2): 521–524. arXiv:astro-ph/0012289. Bibcode:2001A&A...367..521P. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20000451. S2CID 425754.
- ^ a b Malagnini, M. L.; Morossi, C. (November 1990), "Accurate absolute luminosities, effective temperatures, radii, masses and surface gravities for a selected sample of field stars", Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, 85 (3): 1015–1019, Bibcode:1990A&AS...85.1015M
- ^ a b c d e Hempel, M.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M. (2003). "High resolution spectroscopy of circumstellar material around A stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 408 (3): 971–979. Bibcode:2003A&A...408..971H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20030946.
- ^ a b Royer, F.; Zorec, J.; Gómez, A. E. (February 2007). "Rotational velocities of A-type stars. III. Velocity distributions". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 463 (2): 671–682. arXiv:astro-ph/0610785. Bibcode:2007A&A...463..671R. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20065224. S2CID 18475298.
- ^ a b Su, K. Y. L.; et al. (December 2006). "Debris Disk Evolution around A Stars". The Astrophysical Journal. 653 (1): 675–689. arXiv:astro-ph/0608563. Bibcode:2006ApJ...653..675S. doi:10.1086/508649. S2CID 14116473.
- ^ a b Song, Inseok; Caillault, J.-P.; Barrado y Navascués, David; Stauffer, John R. (January 2001). "Ages of A-Type Vega-like Stars from uvbyβ Photometry". The Astrophysical Journal. 546 (1): 352–357. arXiv:astro-ph/0010102. Bibcode:2001ApJ...546..352S. doi:10.1086/318269. S2CID 18154947.
- ^ "LTT 2656". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
- ^ Moore, Patrick (2007), Moore on Mercury: the planet and the missions, Springer, p. 121, ISBN 978-1846282577
- ^ a b Goldin, A.; Makarov, V. V. (November 2007). "Astrometric Orbits for Hipparcos Stochastic Binaries". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 173 (1): 137–142. arXiv:0706.0361. Bibcode:2007ApJS..173..137G. doi:10.1086/520513. S2CID 119586069.
- ^ Roberge, Aki; Weinberger, Alycia J. (March 2008). "Debris Disks around Nearby Stars with Circumstellar Gas". The Astrophysical Journal. 676 (1): 509–517. arXiv:0711.4561. Bibcode:2008ApJ...676..509R. doi:10.1086/527314. S2CID 18407657.
- ^ "The Colour of Stars", Australia Telescope, Outreach and Education, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, December 21, 2004, archived from the original on February 22, 2012, retrieved 2012-01-16
- ^ Gliese, W. (1969). "Catalogue of Nearby Stars". Veröffentlichungen des Astronomischen Rechen-Instituts Heidelberg. 22: 1. Bibcode:1969VeARI..22....1G.
- ^ Schröder, C.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M. (November 2007). "X-ray emission from A-type stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 475 (2): 677–684. Bibcode:2007A&A...475..677S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20077429.