Epsilon Arietis

Epsilon Arietis (ε Ari, ε Arietis) is the Bayer designation for a visual binary^[8] star system in the northern constellation of Aries. It has a combined apparent visual magnitude of 4.63^[2] and can be seen with the naked eye, although the two components are too close together to be resolved without a telescope. With an annual parallax shift of 9.81 mas,^[1] the distance to this system can be estimated as 330 light-years (100 parsecs), give or take a 30 light-year margin of error. It is located behind the dark cloud MBM12.^[6]

ε Arietis

Location of ε Arietis (circled)
Observation data Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation	Aries
Right ascension	02h 59m 12.72536s[1]
Declination	+21° 20′ 25.5575″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	4.63[2] (5.2/5.5)[3]
Characteristics
Spectral type	A2 Vs + A2 Vs[4]
U−B color index	+0.08[2]
B−V color index	+0.04[2]
R−I color index	0.02
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	+0.9 ± 0.9[5] km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: -13.74[1] mas/yr Dec.: -5.12[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)	9.81 ± 0.79 mas[1]
Distance	330 ± 30 ly (102 ± 8 pc)
Orbit[6]
Period (P)	704.111±1.778 yr
Semi-major axis (a)	2.174±0.035″
Eccentricity (e)	0.317±0.006
Inclination (i)	84.2±0.8°
Longitude of the node (Ω)	25.6±0.7°
Periastron epoch (T)	704.111±1.778
Argument of periastron (ω) (secondary)	162.1±1.0°
Details
ε Ari A
Mass	2.4[6] M☉
Rotational velocity (v sin i)	60[4] km/s
ε Ari B
Mass	2.4[6] M☉
Rotational velocity (v sin i)	60[4] km/s
Other designations
48 Arietis, BD+20 484, HIP 13914, ADS 2257, WDS J02592+2120AB[7]
ε Ari A: HD 18520, HR 888, SAO 75673
ε Ari B: HD 18519, HR 887.
Database references
SIMBAD	ε Ari
	ε Ari A
	ε Ari B

The brighter member of this pair has an apparent magnitude of 5.2.^[3] At an angular separation of 1.426 ± 0.010 arcseconds from the brighter component, along a position angle of 209.2° ± 0.3°,^[8] is the magnitude 5.5 companion.^[3] Both are A-type main sequence stars with a stellar classification of A2 Vs.^[4] (The 's' suffix indicates that the absorption lines in the spectrum are distinctly narrow.) In the 2009 Catalogue of Ap, HgMn and Am stars, the two stars have a classification of A3 Ti,^[3] indicating they are Ap stars with an anomalous abundance of titanium. Within the measurement margin of error, their projected rotational velocities are deemed identical at 60 km/s.^[4]

Name

This star system, along with δ Ari, ζ Ari, π Ari, and ρ³ Ari, were Al Bīrūnī's Al Buṭain (ألبطين), the dual of Al Baṭn, the Belly.^[9] According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum 33-507 - A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Al Buṭain were the title for five stars :δ Ari as Botein, π Ari as Al Buṭain I, ρ³ Ari as Al Buṭain II, ε Ari as Al Buṭain III and ζ Ari as Al Buṭain IV^[10]

In Chinese astronomy, Epsilon Arietis may be or may be part of Tso Kang (from Cantonese 左更 zogang, Mandarin pronunciation zuǒgēng).^[11][12]

References

1. van Leeuwen, F. (November 2007), "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 474 (2): 653–664, arXiv:0708.1752, Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357, S2CID 18759600.
2. Eggen, Olin J. (November 1963), "Luminosities, colors, and motions of the brightest A-type stars", Astronomical Journal, 68: 697, Bibcode:1963AJ.....68..697E, doi:10.1086/109198.
3. Renson, P.; Manfroid, J. (May 2009), "Catalogue of Ap, HgMn and Am stars", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 498 (3): 961–966, Bibcode:2009A&A...498..961R, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200810788.
4. Royer, F.; et al. (October 2002), "Rotational velocities of A-type stars in the northern hemisphere. II. Measurement of v sin i", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 393: 897–911, arXiv:astro-ph/0205255, Bibcode:2002A&A...393..897R, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20020943, S2CID 14070763.
5. Gontcharov, G. A. (November 2006), "Pulkovo Compilation of Radial Velocities for 35 495 Hipparcos stars in a common system", Astronomy Letters, 32 (11): 759–771, arXiv:1606.08053, Bibcode:2006AstL...32..759G, doi:10.1134/S1063773706110065, S2CID 119231169.
6. Rica, Francisco (April 2012), "Orbital Elements for BU 741 AB, STF 333 AB, BU 920 and R 207", Journal of Double Star Observations, 8 (2): 127–139, Bibcode:2012JDSO....8..127R.
7. "eps Ari". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
8. Scardia, M.; Prieur, J.-L.; Pansecchi, L.; Argyle, R. W.; Basso, S.; Sala, M.; Ghigo, M.; Koechlin, L.; Aristidi, E. (January 2007), "Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate - III. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2005 and scale calibration with a grating mask" (PDF), Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 374 (3): 965–978, Bibcode:2007MNRAS.374..965S, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.11206.x.
9. Allen, R. H. (1963). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Reprint ed.). New York, NY: Dover Publications Inc. p. 83. ISBN 0-486-21079-0. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
10. Jack W. Rhoads - Technical Memorandum 33-507-A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; November 15, 1971
11. Chevalier, S., and Tsuchihashi, P., (1911): "Catalogue d'Étoiles fixes, observés a Pekin sous l'Empereur Kien Long (Qianlong (Chien-Lung)), XVIII^e siecle", Annales de l'Observatoire Astronomique de Zô-Sé.
12. 伊世同 (Yi Shi Tong) (1981): 『中西対照恒星図表』科学出版社.(in Chinese)

External links

• HR 887
• Image Epsilon Arietis