Astronomy:R Sculptoris

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Short description: Variable star in the constellation Sculptor
R Sculptoris
Location of R Sculptoris (circled)
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Sculptor
Right ascension  01h 26m 58.09462s[1]
Declination −32° 32′ 35.4377″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) +5.72[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type C6,5ea(Np)[3]
U−B color index +7.67[2]
B−V color index +3.87[2]
Variable type SRb[4]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−5.40[5] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −9.784[1] mas/yr
Dec.: −30.900[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)2.2724 ± 0.1471[1] mas
Distance1,180±140 ly
(361±44 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−0.45[6]
Details
Mass1.3±0.7 [7] M
Radius411±43[8] R
Luminosity8,000±1,000[8] L
Surface gravity (log g)−0.5±0.1[8] cgs
Temperature2640±80 [7] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.0[3] dex
Other designations
R Scl, CD−33°525, HD 8879, HIP 6759, HR 423, SAO 193122, WDS J01270-3233A, AAVSO 0122-33[9]
Database references
SIMBADdata

R Sculptoris is a variable star system in the southern constellation of Sculptor.[10][11] Parallax measurements provide a distance estimate of approximately 1,435 ± 98 light-years from the Sun.[1] An independent estimate based on measurements of an ejected shell surrounding the star yield a distance of 1,180 ± 140 light-years.[12] The star is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −5.4 km/s.[5]

Benjamin Apthorp Gould discovered that the star's brightness varies, in 1872. It was listed with its variable star designation, R Sculptoris, in Annie Jump Cannon's 1907 work Second Catalog of Variable Stars.[13] Although the General Catalogue of Variable Stars lists its maximum brightness as magnitude 9.1,[14] far too faint to be seen with the naked eye, both AAVSO and ASAS data shows that R Sculptoris is occasionally brighter than 6th magnitude, and faintly visible to the naked eye under excellent observing conditions.[15][16]

A visual band light curve for R Sculptoris, plotted from ASAS data[17]

This is an aging giant star on the asymptotic giant branch with a stellar classification of C6,5ea(Np),[3] which indicates a carbon-rich atmosphere. It is a semi-regular pulsating star of the SRb[4] type that is nearing the end of its fusing lifespan. A sine curve fitted to the last ten pulsation cycles prior to 2017 give a pulsation period of 376 days with an amplitude of 0.75 magnitude. The star is shedding its outer atmosphere, and it is surrounded by a thin shell of dust and gas that was created during the most recent thermal pulse around 2,000 years ago.[12]

Observations have revealed a spiral structure in the material around the star.[18] The spiral is suspected to be caused by an unseen companion star.[10] The spiral windings are consistent with an orbital period of ~350 years.[18]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 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 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. Bibcode2002yCat.2237....0D. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cruzalèbes, P. et al. (2013). "Fundamental parameters of 16 late-type stars derived from their angular diameter measured with VLTI/AMBER". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 434 (1): 437. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1037. Bibcode2013MNRAS.434..437C. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Samus, N. N. et al. (2009). "General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S 1. Bibcode2009yCat....102025S. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 Gontcharov, G. A. (2006). "Pulkovo Compilation of Radial Velocities for 35 495 Hipparcos stars in a common system". Astronomy Letters 32 (11): 759–771. doi:10.1134/S1063773706110065. Bibcode2006AstL...32..759G. 
  6. Anderson, E.; Francis, Ch. (2012), "XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation", Astronomy Letters 38 (5): 331, doi:10.1134/S1063773712050015, Bibcode2012AstL...38..331A 
  7. 7.0 7.1 Wittkowski, M et al. (2017). "Aperture synthesis imaging of the carbon AGB star R Sculptoris. Detection of a complex structure and a dominating spot on the stellar disk". Astronomy & Astrophysics 601: A3. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201630214. Bibcode2017A&A...601A...3W. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Drevon, J.; Millour, F.; Cruzalèbes, P.; Paladini, C.; Hron, J.; Meilland, A.; Allouche, F.; Hofmann, K.-H. et al. (2022-09-01). "Locating dust and molecules in the inner circumstellar environment of R Sculptoris with MATISSE" (in en). Astronomy & Astrophysics 665: A32. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202141609. ISSN 0004-6361. Bibcode2022A&A...665A..32D. 
  9. "R Scl". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=R+Scl. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Hubble Gazes at R Sculptoris and its Hidden Companion". SpaceDaily. 11 January 2015. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Hubble_Gazes_at_R_Sculptoris_and_its_Hidden_Companion_999.html. 
  11. "Curious spiral spotted by ALMA around red giant star R Sculptoris (data visualisation)". Image Archive. ESO. http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1239a/. Retrieved 11 October 2012. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 Maercker, M. et al. (April 2018). "An independent distance estimate to the AGB star R Sculptoris". Astronomy & Astrophysics 611: 8. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201732057. A102. Bibcode2018A&A...611A.102M. 
  13. Cannon, Annie J. (1907). "Second catalogue of variable stars". Annals of Harvard College Observatory 55: 1–94. Bibcode1907AnHar..55....1C. https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1907AnHar..55....1C. Retrieved 16 December 2024. 
  14. Samus, N.N.; Kazarovets, E.V.; Durlevich, O.V.; Kireeva, N.N.; Pastukhova, E.N.. "R Scl". Lomonosov Moscow State University. http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/cgi-bin/search2.cgi?search=R+Scl. 
  15. "Plot a light curve". American Association of Variable Star Observers. https://www.aavso.org/LCGv2/. 
  16. "ASAS All Star Catalogue". University of Warsaw. https://www.astrouw.edu.pl/asas/?page=aasc. 
  17. "ASAS All Star Catalogue". The All Sky Automated Survey. http://www.astrouw.edu.pl/asas/?page=aasc. 
  18. 18.0 18.1 Maercker, M. et al. (2012). "Unexpectedly large mass loss during the thermal pulse cycle of the red giant star R Sculptoris". Nature 490 (7419): 232–4. doi:10.1038/nature11511. PMID 23060194. Bibcode2012Natur.490..232M. 
  19. "A red giant sheds its skin". https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1807a/. Retrieved 12 February 2018. 

Further reading