Rho Aurigae (ρ Aur, ρ Aurigae) is the Bayer designation for a binary star system in the northern constellation of Auriga. It is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +5.22.[2] Judging by parallax measurements, this system is approximately 530 light-years (160 parsecs) distant from the Earth, give or take a 30-light-year margin of error.[1]
  | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Auriga |
| Right ascension | 05h 21m 48.41650s[1] |
| Declination | +41° 48′ 16.4615″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +5.22[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | B5 V[3] |
| U−B color index | −0.57[2] |
| B−V color index | −0.14[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +13.1[4] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: +14.42[1] mas/yr Dec.: −37.32[1] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 6.16 ± 0.36 mas[1] |
| Distance | 530 ± 30 ly (162 ± 9 pc) |
| Orbit[5] | |
| Period (P) | 34.49321 ± 0.00057 d |
| Eccentricity (e) | 0.104 ± 0.019 |
| Periastron epoch (T) | 47,962.5 ± 2.0 JD |
| Argument of periastron (ω) (secondary) | 3.4 ± 12.0° |
| Semi-amplitude (K1) (primary) | 39.8 ± 0.8 km/s |
| Details | |
| ρ Aur A | |
| Mass | 5–7[5] M☉ |
| Radius | 3.2–3.4[6] R☉ |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 55[7] km/s |
| ρ Aur B | |
| Mass | 2–4[5] M☉ |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
System
ρ Aurigae is a single-lined spectroscopic binary system; the presence of a companion object is revealed by shifts in the stellar spectrum. The pair orbit each other with a period of 34.49 days and an orbital eccentricity of 0.10.[5]
The primary component of this system is a B-type main-sequence star defined as a standard star for the stellar classification of B5 V.[3] The deduced mass of the secondary and the lack of evidence for it in the spectrum suggest it may be a B- or A-type star somewhat less luminous than the primary.[5]
Name
In Chinese, 咸池 (Xián Chí), meaning Pool of Harmony, refers to an asterism consisting of ρ Aurigae, λ Aurigae and HD 36041.[9] Consequently, the Chinese name for ρ Aurigae itself is 咸池一 (Xián Chí yī, English: the First Star of Pool of Harmony).[10]
References
Further reading
External links
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