Mira B

Mira B

The red giant star Mira (right), and its companion Mira B on the left. Taken on December 11, 1995, by the Hubble Space Telescope using the Faint Object Camera.
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Cetus
Right ascension 02h 19m 20.80s[1]
Declination −02° 58′ 40.0″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 9.5 - 12.0[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type DA[3]
Astrometry
Distanceapprox. 300[4] ly
(approx. 90 pc)
Other designations
VZ Cet, ο Cet B, WDS J02193-0259Ab, CCDM J02194-0258P, WD 0216-032
Database references
SIMBADdata

Mira B, also known as VZ Ceti, is the companion star to the variable star Mira, separated by around 100 AU. Suspected as early as 1918, it was visually confirmed in 1923 by Robert Grant Aitken, and has been observed more or less continually since then, most recently by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.[5]

Long known to be erratically variable itself, its fluctuations seem to be related to its accretion of matter from Mira's stellar wind, which makes it a symbiotic star.[6]

  1. ^ a b Skiff, B. A. (2014). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: Catalogue of Stellar Spectral Classifications". VizieR On-line Data Catalog. 1. Bibcode:2014yCat....1.2023S.
  2. ^ Samus', N. N.; et al. (2003). "An Electronic Version of the Second Volume of the General Catalogue of Variable Stars with Improved Coordinates". Astronomy Letters. 29 (7): 468–479. Bibcode:2003AstL...29..468S. doi:10.1134/1.1589864. S2CID 16299532.
  3. ^ Warner, B. (1972). "Observations of rapid blue variables - VIII. The companion to Mira". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 159: 95–100. Bibcode:1972MNRAS.159...95W. doi:10.1093/mnras/159.1.95.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Robert Burnham (15 April 2013). Burnham's Celestial Handbook, Volume One: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System. Courier Corporation. ISBN 978-0-486-31902-5.
  6. ^ James B. Kaler (7 May 2006). The Hundred Greatest Stars. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-0-387-21625-6.