Astronomy:RW Cygni

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Short description: Star in the constellation Cygnus
RW Cygni
Sadr Region rgb.jpg
Region around γ Cygni, with RW Cygni annotated on the full-size image (north is right)
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Cygnus
Right ascension  20h 28m 50.59027s[1]
Declination 39° 58′ 54.4180″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 8.05 - 9.70[2]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage Red supergiant
Spectral type M3-4Ia-Iab[3]
Variable type SRc[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−18.39±0.52[1] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: –3.255[1] mas/yr
Dec.: –5.511[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)0.4602 ± 0.0897[1] mas
Distance1,620+40
−40
[4] pc
Absolute magnitude (MV)–6.41[5]
Details
Radius1,000[6] R
Luminosity126,000[4] - 160,000[6] L
Temperature3,605±170[6] K
Other designations
Database references
SIMBADdata

RW Cygni is a semiregular variable star in the constellation Cygnus, about a degree east of 2nd magnitude γ Cygni. Its apparent magnitude varies between 8.05 and 9.70 and its spectral type between M3 and M4.

Distance

The Gaia Data Release 2 parallax for RW Cyg is 0.4602±0.0897 mas or a distance of around 2.2 kpc.[1] RW Cygni is assumed to be a member of the Cygnus OB9 Stellar Association and therefore around 3,600 light-years from the Solar System.[5][7] Newer observations based on the parallaxes of neighbouring OB stars give RW Cygni a distance of 1.62 kpc.[4]

Properties

RW Cygni is a luminous red supergiant with a bolometric luminosity more than 100,000 L.[8][5] Its spectral type is given in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars as M2-4Ia-Iab, covering the range of previously published values. It has been defined as a standard star for the MK spectral classification of M3-M4Ia-Iab.[3] In 2005, the effective temperature is directly calculated to be 3,600 K, giving a radius of 980 R.[5] An alternate calculation gives a higher temperature of 3,920 K and a correspondingly lower radius of 680 R.[8] More recent measurements based on its Gaia Data Release 2 parallax gives the similar effective temperature derived in 2005 and as well as a larger radius of 1,000 R, which would make RW Cygni one of the largest known stars.[6] Using the more conservative figure, if it was placed at the center of Solar System, it would be extend past the orbit of Mars and into the Asteroid Belt.

A light curve for RW Cygni, plotted from Hipparcos data[9]

The initial mass of RW Cygni has been estimated from its position relative to theoretical stellar evolutionary tracks to be around 20 M.[8] Observations of its atmosphere suggest that it is losing mass at a rate of 3.2×10−6 M per year.[10]

RW Cygni is classified as a semiregular variable star. It is given the subtype SRc, indicating that it is a cool supergiant.[2] Its brightness varies from extremes of magnitude +8.0 and +9.5 with a period of 580±80 d. No long secondary period has been detected.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Brown, A. G. A. (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics 616: A1. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Bibcode2018A&A...616A...1G.  Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 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. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Keenan, Philip C.; McNeil, Raymond C. (1989). "The Perkins catalog of revised MK types for the cooler stars". Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 71: 245. doi:10.1086/191373. Bibcode1989ApJS...71..245K. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 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. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Levesque, Emily M.; Massey, Philip; Olsen, K. A. G.; Plez, Bertrand; Josselin, Eric; Maeder, Andre; Meynet, Georges (2005). "The Effective Temperature Scale of Galactic Red Supergiants: Cool, but Not As Cool As We Thought". The Astrophysical Journal 628 (2): 973–985. doi:10.1086/430901. Bibcode2005ApJ...628..973L. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Messineo, M.; Brown, A. G. A. (2019). "A Catalog of Known Galactic K-M Stars of Class I Candidate Red Supergiants in Gaia DR2". The Astronomical Journal 158 (1): 20. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab1cbd. Bibcode2019AJ....158...20M. 
  7. Famaey, B.; Jorissen, A.; Luri, X.; Mayor, M.; Udry, S.; Dejonghe, H.; Turon, C. (2005). "Local kinematics of K and M giants from CORAVEL/Hipparcos/Tycho-2 data. Revisiting the concept of superclusters". Astronomy and Astrophysics 405: 165. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20041272. Bibcode2005A&A...430..165F. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Josselin, E.; Plez, B. (2007). "Atmospheric dynamics and the mass loss process in red supergiant stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics 469 (2): 671. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20066353. Bibcode2007A&A...469..671J. 
  9. "Hipparcos Tools Interactive Data Access". ESA. https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/hipparcos/interactive-data-access. 
  10. Mauron, N.; Josselin, E. (2011). "The mass-loss rates of red supergiants and the de Jager prescription". Astronomy and Astrophysics 526: A156. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201013993. Bibcode2011A&A...526A.156M. 
  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.