Astronomy:Sigma Arae

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Short description: Star in the constellation Ara
Sigma Arae
The location of σ Arae (circled)
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Ara
Right ascension  17h 35m 39.591s[1]
Declination −46° 30′ 20.46″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) +4.575[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type A0 V[3]
U−B color index −0.064[2]
B−V color index −0.027[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−9.28±0.33[1] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −25.046[1] mas/yr
Dec.: −38.30[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)8.5285 ± 0.1394[1] mas
Distance382 ± 6 ly
(117 ± 2 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)1.40[4]
Details
Mass2.56±0.35[5] M
Radius4.90±0.22[5] R
Luminosity215±22[5] L
Surface gravity (log g)3.47±0.07[5] cgs
Temperature9,986±206[5] K
Other designations
σ Arae, CD−46 11661, GC 23815, HD 159217, HIP 86092, HR 6537, SAO 228162, PPM 323154[6]
Database references
SIMBADdata

Sigma Arae is a star in the southern constellation of Ara. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from σ Arae, and abbreviated Sigma Ara or σ Ara. This star is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.575.[2] The distance to this star, based upon an annual parallax shift of 8.53 mas,[1] is approximately 382 light-years (117 pc). It is drifting closer to the Sun with a radial velocity of −9 km/s.[1]

This is an A-type main sequence star with a stellar classification of A0 V.[3] It has 2.6 times the mass of the Sun and 4.9 times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 215 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 9,986 K.[5] Unusually for an A-type star, X-ray emissions with a luminosity of 4.6×1029 erg s−1 have been detected from Sigma Arae. Normally this is explained by the presence of a lower mass orbiting companion star. However, such a scenario does not appear to hold true for this star. Instead, the signature of a surface magnetic field has been detected with a strength of roughly 128±73 Gauss, indicating the source of the X-rays may be surface magnetic activity.[7]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 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.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Cousins, A. W. J. (1973), "Revised zero points and UBV photometry of stars in the Harvard E and F regions", Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society 77: 223–236, Bibcode1973MmRAS..77..223C. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Houk, Nancy (1978), Michigan catalogue of two-dimensional spectral types for the HD stars, 2, Ann Arbor: Dept. of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Bibcode1978mcts.book.....H. 
  4. Neff, James E.; Simon, Theodore (September 2008), "O VI Observations of the Onset of Convection Zones in Main-Sequence A Stars", The Astrophysical Journal 685 (1): 478–488, doi:10.1086/590423, Bibcode2008ApJ...685..478N. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Stassun, Keivan G. et al. (September 2019), "The Revised TESS Input Catalog and Candidate Target List" (in en), The Astronomical Journal 158 (4): 138, doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab3467, ISSN 1538-3881, Bibcode2019AJ....158..138S. 
  6. "* sig Ara". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=%2A+sig+Ara. 
  7. Schröder, C. et al. (June 2008), "Magnetic fields in A-type stars associated with X-ray emission", Astronomy and Astrophysics 484 (2): 479–486, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078963, Bibcode2008A&A...484..479S.