Astronomy:RT Carinae

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Short description: Star in the constellation Carina
RT Carinae
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RT Carinae is the bright orange star south of the Trumpler 15 cluster.
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Carina[1]
Right ascension  10h 44m 47.148s[2]
Declination −59° 24′ 48.1228″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 8.2 - 9.9[3]
Characteristics
Spectral type M2+ Iab[4]
B−V color index +2.31[5]
Variable type LC[3]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−21.95±0.58[2] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −7.432[2] mas/yr
Dec.: +2.851[2] mas/yr
Parallax (π)0.470 ± 0.069[6] mas
Distanceapprox. 7,000 ly
(approx. 2,100 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−6.74[5]
Details
Radius1,090 R
Luminosity (bolometric)129,000+33,000
−24,000
[7] L
Surface gravity (log g)−0.3 cgs
Temperature3,625 K
Other designations
RT Car, HD 303310, HIP 52562, SAO 238424, CD−58°3538, AAVSO 1040-58
Database references
SIMBADdata

RT Carinae (CD−58 3538) is a red supergiant or hypergiant[3] variable star, located 7,000 light years away in the constellation Carina and in the Carina Nebula. The apparent magnitude varying around +9 is too faint to be visible to the naked eye.

Observational history

A visual band light curve for RT Carinae, plotted from ASAS data[8]

In 1898 it was announced that Louisa D. Wells had discovered that the star's brightness varies. The initial variable star designation given was R Carinae, but that name was eventually given to a different star.[9] It appears with its current name, RT Carinae, in Annie Jump Cannon's 1907 work, Second Catalogue of Variable Stars.[10] It is catalogued as an irregular variable star, but a number of possible pulsation periods have been detected. Analysis from observations over 40 years give variations with periods of 201 and 448 days, with other studies suggesting periods of 100 and 1,400 days.[11]

Characteristics

RT Carinae is a red supergiant with a spectral type given in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars as M2Ia-0,[3] suggesting the star is a hypergiant or an extremely luminous supergiant. It has been defined as a standard star for the MK spectral classification of M2+ Iab,[4] which suggests the star to be an intermediate-luminosity supergiant.

The star has a temperature of 3,625 K and a radius about 1,090 times that of the Sun,[5] with an estimated luminosity 130,000 times that of the Sun.[7] It is close to the open cluster Trumpler 15, but is not thought to be a member.[12] It appears to be surrounded by a dusty nebula, possibly material ejected from the star itself.[13]

References

  1. Roman, Nancy G. (1987). "Identification of a constellation from a position". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 99 (617): 695. doi:10.1086/132034. Bibcode1987PASP...99..695R  Constellation record for this object at VizieR.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 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 Samus, N. N. 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. Bibcode2009yCat....102025S. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Keenan, P.; McNeil, R. (October 1989). "The Perkins catalog of revised MK types for the cooler stars". Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 71: 245–266. doi:10.1086/191373. Bibcode1989ApJS...71..245K. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named levesque
  6. Berlanas, S. R.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Herrero, A.; Mahy, L.; Blomme, R.; Negueruela, I.; Dorda, R.; Comerón, F. et al. (2023-03-01). "Gaia-ESO survey: Massive stars in the Carina Nebula. I. A new census of OB stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics 671: A20. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202245335. ISSN 0004-6361. Bibcode2023A&A...671A..20B.  RT Carinae's database entry at VizieR.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Davies, Ben; Beasor, Emma R. (March 2020). "The 'red supergiant problem': the upper luminosity boundary of Type II supernova progenitors" (in en). MNRAS 493 (1): 468–476. doi:10.1093/mnras/staa174. Bibcode2020MNRAS.493..468D. 
  8. "ASAS All Star Catalogue". The All Sky Automated Survey. http://www.astrouw.edu.pl/asas/?page=aasc. 
  9. Pickering, E. C.; Bailey, S. I.; Fleming, W. P.; Leland, E. F.; Wells, L. D. (March 1898). "Variable star clusters. New variable stars". Astrophysical Journal 7: 208–211. doi:10.1086/140457. Bibcode1898ApJ.....7..208P. 
  10. Cannon, Annie J. (1907). "Second catalogue of variable stars". Annals of Harvard College Observatory 55: 1–94. Bibcode1907AnHar..55....1C. 
  11. Kiss, L. L.; Szabó, Gy. M.; Bedding, T. R. (2006). "Variability in red supergiant stars: Pulsations, long secondary periods and convection noise". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 372 (4): 1721–1734. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10973.x. Bibcode2006MNRAS.372.1721K. 
  12. Smith, Nathan (2006). "A census of the Carina Nebula - I. Cumulative energy input from massive stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 367 (2): 763–772. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10007.x. Bibcode2006MNRAS.367..763S. 
  13. Forte, J. C.; Marraco, H. G. (1986). "RT Carinae; a late type supergiant within an elongated dusty nebula". Astrophysical Letters 25: 39. Bibcode1986ApL....25...39F.