![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/T_Leporis.jpg/640px-T_Leporis.jpg&w=640&q=50)
T Leporis
Star in the constellation Lepus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
T Leporis (T Lep / HD 32803 / HIP 23636) is a variable star in the constellation of Lepus, the Hare. It is located half a degree from ε Leporis in the sky; its distance is approximately 1,100 light years from the Solar System. It has the spectral type M6ev, and is a Mira variable — as is R Leporis, in the same constellation — whose apparent magnitude varies between +7.40 and +14.30 with a period of 368.13 days.[2]
Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS) | |
---|---|
Constellation | Lepus |
Right ascension | 05h 04m 50.85s[1] |
Declination | −21° 54′ 16.5″[1] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 7.4 - 14.3[2] |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | M6e-M9e[2] |
Variable type | Mira[2] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | −4[3] km/s |
Parallax (π) | 3.06 ± 0.04 mas[4] |
Distance | 1,070 ± 10 ly (327 ± 4 pc) |
Details | |
Mass | 2.7[5] M☉ |
Surface gravity (log g) | −0.5[5] cgs |
Temperature | 2,800[5] K |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
The annual parallax of T Leporis was measured by the Hipparcos mission, but the results were hopelessly imprecise.[6] The parallax from Gaia Data Release 2 is more accurate and yields a distance of 340±20 pc.[1] The distance has also been measured using very-long-baseline interferometry and found to be 327±4 pc.[7]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/TLepLightCurve.png/640px-TLepLightCurve.png)
Mira variables are some of the major sources of molecules and dust in the Universe. With each pulsation, T Leporis expels matter into space, each year losing an amount equivalent to the mass of Earth. Images of T Leporis obtained with the Very Large Telescope interferometer of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have revealed a shell of gas and dust surrounding the star, whose diameter is some 100 times larger than that of the Sun.[9] Given the great distance at which this class of stars lie, its apparent angular diameter — despite its enormous size — is no more than a millionth of the solar apparent angular diameter.