Astronomy:Pi Ceti

From HandWiki
Short description: Spectroscopic binary star system in the constellation Cetus
Pi Ceti
Location of Pi Ceti (circled)
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Cetus[1]
Right ascension  02h 44m 07.348s[2]
Declination −13° 51′ 31.28″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 4.238[3]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage main sequence[4]
Spectral type B7 V[5] or B7 IV[6]
U−B color index −0.396[3]
B−V color index −0.130[3]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)14.98±0.25[7] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −8.394[2] mas/yr
Dec.: −23.592[2] mas/yr
Parallax (π)8.4022 ± 0.1945[2] mas
Distance388 ± 9 ly
(119 ± 3 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−1.16[1]
Orbit[8]
Period (P)2,722±14 d
Eccentricity (e)0.00±0.07
Periastron epoch (T)2444852±29 JD
Argument of periastron (ω)
(secondary)
0.0°
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)
4.33±0.25 km/s
Details[9]
π Cet A
Mass4.4±0.2 M
Radius4.3±0.3 R
Luminosity468 L
Surface gravity (log g)3.8±0.2 cgs
Temperature12,900±400 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.28±0.16[10] dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)20.9±1.2 km/s
Age0.3+0.1
−0.1
 Myr
Other designations
π Cet, 89 Ceti, BD−14 519, FK5 97, HD 17081, HIP 12770, HR 811, SAO 148575[11]
Database references
SIMBADdata

Pi Ceti a binary star system in the equatorial constellation of Cetus. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from π Ceti, and abbreviated Pi Cet or π Cet. The system is located near the eastern boundary of the constellation and is sometimes portrayed as forming part of the Eridanus constellation's asterism.[12] It is visible to the naked eye as a point of light with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.238.[3] Observed to have a half yearly parallax shift of 8.30 mas as seen from Earth,[2] it is located at a distance of approximately 393 light years from the Sun. The system is drifting further away from the Sun with a line of sight velocity component of +15 km/s.[7]

This is a single-lined spectroscopic binary system with a nearly circular orbit and a period of 7.45 years. The fact that the system has a negligible eccentricity is surprising for such a long period, and may suggest that the secondary is a white dwarf that had its orbit circularized during a mass-transfer event.[8]

The primary, component A, is a normal B-type star[9] that has been given stellar classifications of B7 V[5] and B7 IV.[6] It appears very young – less than half a million years in age – and may still be on a pre-main sequence track. The star shows no magnetic field but it does emit an infrared excess.[9]

Name

This star, along with ε Cet, ρ Cet and σ Cet, was Al Sufi's Al Sadr al Ḳaiṭos, the Whale's breast/chest (upper torso).[13] Per Jack Rhoads's Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Al Sufi's numerically ordered stars (1 to 4), were ρ (rho), σ (sigma), ε (epsilon) and this star.[14]

In Chinese, 天苑 (Tiān Yuàn), meaning Celestial Meadows, refers to an asterism consisting of π Ceti, and 15 stars in Eridanus: γ, π, δ, ε, ζ, η, and the string of τ (Tau)1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Consequently, the Chinese name for the star is 天苑七 (Tiān Yuàn qī) meaning Celestial Meadows: seven.[15]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Anderson, E.; Francis, Ch. (2012). "XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation". Astronomy Letters 38 (5): 331. doi:10.1134/S1063773712050015. Bibcode2012AstL...38..331A  XHIP record for this object at VizieR.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Vallenari, A. et al. (2022). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940.  Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gutierrez-Moreno, Adelina et al. (1966), "A System of photometric standards", Publications of the Department of Astronomy University of Chile (Publicaciones Universidad de Chile, Department de Astronomy) 1: 1–17, Bibcode1966PDAUC...1....1G. 
  4. Zorec, J.; Royer, F. (2012), "Rotational velocities of A-type stars. IV. Evolution of rotational velocities", Astronomy and Astrophysics 537: A120, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201117691, Bibcode2012A&A...537A.120Z. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 Buscombe, W. (1962), "Spectral classification of Southern fundamental stars", Mount Stromlo Observatory Mimeogram 4: 1, Bibcode1962MtSOM...4....1B. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 Hohle, M. M. et al. (April 2010), "Masses and luminosities of O- and B-type stars and red supergiants", Astronomische Nachrichten 331 (4): 349, doi:10.1002/asna.200911355, Bibcode2010AN....331..349H. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 Pourbaix, D. et al. (2004). "SB9: The ninth catalogue of spectroscopic binary orbits". Astronomy and Astrophysics 424 (2): 727–732. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20041213. Bibcode2004A&A...424..727P. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 Lacy, C. H. S. et al. (March 1997), "The Spectroscopic Orbit of Pi Ceti", Astronomical Journal 113: 1088, doi:10.1086/118325, Bibcode1997AJ....113.1088L. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Folsom, C. P. et al. (May 2012), "Chemical abundances of magnetic and non-magnetic Herbig Ae/Be stars", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 422 (3): 2072–2101, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.20718.x, Bibcode2012MNRAS.422.2072F. 
  10. Prugniel, Ph. et al. (July 2011), "The atmospheric parameters and spectral interpolator for the MILES stars", Astronomy & Astrophysics 531: A165, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201116769, Bibcode2011A&A...531A.165P. 
  11. "pi. Cet". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=pi.+Cet. 
  12. Lovi, George (1957), Mayall, R. Newton, ed., "Two misplaced stars", AAVSO Abstracts: papers presented at the 46th Spring meeting, May 31 – June 2, 1957: p. 4, https://books.google.com/books?id=_QsVAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA8-IA1. 
  13. Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Reprint ed.), New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1963, p. 162, ISBN ((0-486-21079-0)), https://archive.org/details/starnamestheirlo00alle/page/162, retrieved 2010-12-12. 
  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, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19720005197, retrieved 2026-03-06. 
  15. Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist. AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 12 日