Astronomy:Tau Cassiopeiae

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Short description: K-type giant star in the constellation Cassiopeia
Tau Cassiopeiae
Tau cassiopeiae diagram.jpg
Map of the Bayer-designated stars in Cassiopeia. Tau Cassiopeiae is circled.
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Cassiopeia
Right ascension  00h 55m 00.15523s[1]
Declination +58° 58′ 21.7108″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) +4.86[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type K1 IIIa[3]
U−B color index +1.05[2]
B−V color index +1.11[2]
Variable type Suspected[4]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−20.48±0.31[5] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +60.81±0.19[1] mas/yr
Dec.: +56.47±0.17[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)18.75 ± 0.20[1] mas
Distance174 ± 2 ly
(53.3 ± 0.6 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)1.269[6]
Details
Mass1.44[7] M
Radius10[5] R
Luminosity40[7] L
Surface gravity (log g)2.50±0.09[8] cgs
Temperature4,617±77[7] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]+0.06±0.06[8] dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)5.9[5] km/s
Age3.90[7] Gyr
Other designations
τ Cas, 5 Cas, BD+57° 2804, FK5 3909, HD 223165, HIP 117301, HR 9008, SAO 35763[9]
Database references
SIMBADdata

Tau Cassiopeiae (τ Cassiopeiae) is a solitary,[10] orange hued star in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia. It is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, having an apparent visual magnitude of +4.86.[2] Based upon an annual parallax shift of 18.75 mas as seen from Earth,[1] this system is located about 174 light years from the Sun.

The spectrum of this star indicates it is an evolved, K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K1 IIIa.[3] It is a suspected variable star of unknown type.[4][11] Tau Cassiopeiae is 3.9[7] billion years old with about 1.44[7] times the mass of the Sun and 10[5] times the Sun's radius. It is radiating 40[7] times the Sun's luminosity from its expanded photosphere at an effective temperature of around 4,617 K.[7]

Naming

In Chinese, 螣蛇 (Téng Shé), meaning Flying Serpent, refers to an asterism consisting of τ Cassiopeiae, α Lacertae, 4 Lacertae, π2 Cygni, π1 Cygni, HD 206267, ε Cephei, β Lacertae, σ Cassiopeiae, ρ Cassiopeiae, AR Cassiopeiae, 9 Lacertae, 3 Andromedae, 7 Andromedae, 8 Andromedae, λ Andromedae, κ Andromedae, ι Andromedae, and ψ Andromedae. Consequently, the Chinese name for τ Cassiopeiae itself is 螣蛇十三 (Téng Shé shísān, English: the Thirteenth Star of Flying Serpent).[12]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 van Leeuwen, F. (2007), "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction", Astronomy and Astrophysics 474 (2): 653–664, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357, Bibcode2007A&A...474..653V. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Argue, A. N. (1966), "UBV photometry of 550 F, G and K type stars", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 133 (4): 475, doi:10.1093/mnras/133.4.475, Bibcode1966MNRAS.133..475A. 
  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 Halbedel, E. M. (February 1993), "tau Cas: a Variable Star after All?", Information Bulletin on Variable Stars (3851): 1, Bibcode1993IBVS.3851....1H. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Massarotti, Alessandro et al. (January 2008), "Rotational and radial velocities for a sample of 761 HIPPARCOS giants and the role of binarity", The Astronomical Journal 135 (1): 209–231, doi:10.1088/0004-6256/135/1/209, Bibcode2008AJ....135..209M 
  6. Soubiran, C. et al. (March 2008), "Vertical distribution of Galactic disk stars. IV. AMR and AVR from clump giants", Astronomy and Astrophysics 480 (1): 91–101, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078788, Bibcode2008A&A...480...91S. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Luck, R. Earle (2015), "Abundances in the Local Region. I. G and K Giants", The Astronomical Journal 150 (3): 88, doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/88, Bibcode2015AJ....150...88L 
  8. 8.0 8.1 Wu, Yue et al. (2010), "Coudé-feed stellar spectral library – atmospheric parameters", Astronomy & Astrophysics 525: A71, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201015014, Bibcode2011A&A...525A..71W. 
  9. "tau Cas". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=tau+Cas. 
  10. Eggleton, P. P.; Tokovinin, A. A. (September 2008), "A catalogue of multiplicity among bright stellar systems", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 389 (2): 869–879, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13596.x, Bibcode2008MNRAS.389..869E. 
  11. Halbedel, E. M. (November 1989), "Another Opinion on the Variability of tau Cas", Information Bulletin on Variable Stars (3394): 1, Bibcode1989IBVS.3394....1H. 
  12. (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 7 日