Astronomy:WR 1

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Short description: Star in the constellation Cassiopeia
WR 1
V863CasLightCurve.png
A visual band light curve for V863 Cassiopeiae, adapted from Chené et al. (2008).[1] The data were taken from November 2003 to February 2004, and different cycles are shown with different colors.
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Cassiopeia
Right ascension  00h 43m 28.39717s[2]
Declination +64° 45′ 35.3847″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 10.54[3]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage Wolf-Rayet
Spectral type WN4-s[4]
U−B color index −0.24[5]
B−V color index +0.37[5]
Variable type WR[3]
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: −2.878[2] mas/yr
Dec.: −0.702[2] mas/yr
Parallax (π)0.3092 ± 0.0139[2] mas
Distance10,500 ± 500 ly
(3,200 ± 100 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−4.9[6]
Details
Mass27[4] M
Radius2.26[4] R
Luminosity760,000[4] L
Temperature112,200[4] K
Rotational velocity (v sin i)6.5[7] km/s
Other designations
Database references
SIMBADdata

WR 1 is a Wolf-Rayet star located around 10,300 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Cassiopeia. It is only slightly more than twice the size of the sun, but due to a temperature over 100,000 K it is over 758,000 times as luminous as the sun.

Although WR 1 has been recognised as a Wolf-Rayet star since the 19th century,[8] the WR 1 designation does not indicate that it was the first to be discovered. Ordered by right ascension, WR 1 is the first star in the Seventh Catalogue of galactic Wolf-Rayet stars.[9]

WR 1 is a member of the nitrogen sequence of WR stars and has a spectrum with HeII lines much stronger than HeI lines, and NV emission more than twice the strength of NIII, leading to the assignment of a WN4 spectral type. The spectrum has particularly wide HeII, leading to the equivalent classifications of WN4-b (for broad) or WN4-s (for strong). The spectrum also includes CIV and NIV, but no hydrogen lines at all,[10][11] indicating that WR 1 has already expelled all of its hydrogen through its powerful solar winds.

WR 1 is slightly variable and given the variable star designation V863 Cassiopeiae. The total amplitude of the variations is only 0.09 magnitudes at visual wavelengths. The variations are well-defined with a period of 16.9 days, but the light curve is not sinusoidal and its shape may vary.[12] The variations have been ascribed to a dense asymmetric stellar wind and co-rotating interacting regions in ejected material.[7]

It has been suggested that the variability and an infrared excess could be due to a cool companion, but WR 1 is now considered to be a single star.[11] The WN-b subclass of Wolf-Rayet star are generally thought to be all single, in contrast with the WN-A subclass which have narrow emission on a stronger continuum and are thought to be binary systems with a more conventional hot luminous star.[10]

WR 1 is a possible member of the Cassiopeia OB7 association[9] at a distance of around 1,800 pc,[4] although its Gaia parallax suggests it is more distant.[2] Interstellar extinction is calculated to be 2.1 magnitudes, and at 1,820 pc the bolometric luminosity would be 758,600 L. A temperature of 112,200 K is derived from fitting the spectrum, giving a radius of 2.26 R.[4]

References

  1. Chené, André-Nicolas; St-Louis, N.; Moffat, A. F. J. (June 2008). "Large-Scale Wind Variability of WR1 (HD 4004); Towards the Rotation Rate of Wolf-Rayet Stars". Mass Loss from Stars and the Evolution of Stellar Clusters ASP Conference Series 388: 157–158. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 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 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 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Sota, A.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Morrell, N. I.; Barbá, R. H.; Walborn, N. R.; Gamen, R. C.; Arias, J. I.; Alfaro, E. J. et al. (2019). "The Galactic WN stars revisited. Impact of Gaia distances on fundamental stellar parameters". Astronomy & Astrophysics A57: 625. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201834850. Bibcode2019A&A...625A..57H. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 Pyper, Diane M. (1966). "The Effective Temperatures of Wolf-Rayet Stars as Derived from Their U BV Color Indices Corrected for Emission". Astrophysical Journal 144: 13. doi:10.1086/148587. Bibcode1966ApJ...144...13P. 
  6. Crowther, Paul A.; Rate, Gemma (2020). "Unlocking Galactic Wolf–Rayet stars with Gaia DR2 – I. Distances and absolute magnitudes". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 493 (1): 1512–1529. doi:10.1093/mnras/stz3614. Bibcode2020MNRAS.493.1512R. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 St-Louis, N. (2013). "Revealing the Asymmetry of the Wind of the Variable Wolf-Rayet Star WR1 (HD 4004) through Spectropolarization". The Astrophysical Journal 777 (1): 9. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/777/1/9. Bibcode2013ApJ...777....9S. 
  8. Campbell, W. W. (1894). "The Wolf-Rayet stars". Astronomy and Astro-Physics 13: 448. Bibcode1894AstAp..13..448C. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 Van Der Hucht, Karel A.; Conti, Peter S.; Lundström, Ingemar; Stenholm, Björn (1981). "The Sixth Catalogue of galactic Wolf-Rayet stars, their past and present". Space Science Reviews 28 (3): 227–306. doi:10.1007/BF00173260. Bibcode1981SSRv...28..227V. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 Smith, Lindsey F.; Shara, Michael M.; Moffat, Anthony F. J. (1996). "A three-dimensional classification for WN stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 281 (1): 163–191. doi:10.1093/mnras/281.1.163. Bibcode1996MNRAS.281..163S. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 Niedzielski, Andrzej (1998). "The Optical Spectrum of HD 4004 (WN4b). Evidence of Variability". Acta Astronomica 48: 729. Bibcode1998AcA....48..729N. 
  12. Chené, A.-N.; St-Louis, N. (2010). "Large-scale Periodic Variability of the Wind of the Wolf-Rayet Star WR 1 (HD 4004)". The Astrophysical Journal 716 (2): 929. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/716/2/929. Bibcode2010ApJ...716..929C.