R Aurigae

Not to be confused with Rho Aurigae.
R Aurigae

The visual band light curve of R Aurigae, from AAVSO data[1]
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Auriga
Right ascension 05h 17m 17.6916s[2]
Declination +53° 35′ 10.032″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 6.7 to 13.9[3]
Characteristics
Spectral type M7IIIe[4] (M6e - M9e)[3]
U−B color index +0.27[5]
B−V color index +1.66[5]
Variable type Mira[3]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)7.8 ± 2[6] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: 14.708[2] mas/yr
Dec.: −14.685[2] mas/yr
Parallax (π)3.4958 ± 0.1327 mas[2]
Distance930 ± 40 ly
(290 ± 10 pc)
Details
Radius300[7] R☉
Luminosity11,530[8] L☉
Temperature2,385[8] K
Other designations
R Aur, ADS 3845 A, BD+53 882, CCDM J05173+5335A, GC 6435, HD 34019, HIP 24645, HR 1707, IDS 05092+5328 A, SAO 25112[6]
Database references
SIMBADdata

R Aurigae (R Aur) is a Mira variable, a pulsating red giant star in the constellation of Auriga, at a distance of 930 light years.

R Aurigae has an apparent visual magnitude which varies between 6.7 and 13.9 with a period of 450 days.[3] The light curve varies strongly from cycle to cycle, sometimes having a pronounced hump on the ascending branch and usually having rise and fall times approximately equal. The cycle period has oscillated slowly between about 450 and 465 days. The discoverer of R Aurigae's variability is not known, but it was widely observed in the late 19th century and its spectrum was described in 1890.[9]

R Aurigae is catalogued as a component of a double star, with the 10th magnitude HD 233095, although the two stars are unrelated.[10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference aavso was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2021). "Gaia Early Data Release 3: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 649: A1. arXiv:2012.01533. Bibcode:2021A&A...649A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657. S2CID 227254300. (Erratum: doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657e). Gaia EDR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. ^ a b c d R Aur, database entry, The combined table of GCVS Vols I-III and NL 67-78 with improved coordinates, General Catalogue of Variable Stars Archived 2017-06-20 at the Wayback Machine, Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow, Russia. Accessed on line November 10, 2009.
  4. ^ Skiff, B. A. (1994). "Photometry of Stars in the Field of R Aurigae". Information Bulletin on Variable Stars. 4058: 1. Bibcode:1994IBVS.4058....1S.
  5. ^ a b HR 1707, database entry, The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed. (Preliminary Version), D. Hoffleit and W. H. Warren, Jr., CDS ID V/50. Accessed on line November 10, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "V* R Aur". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  7. ^ HD 34019, database entry, Catalog of Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (CADARS), 3rd edition, L. E. Pasinetti-Fracassini, L. Pastori, S. Covino, and A. Pozzi, CDS ID II/224. Accessed on line November 10, 2009.
  8. ^ a b McDonald, I.; et al. (2012). "Fundamental Parameters and Infrared Excesses of Hipparcos Stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 427 (1): 343–57. arXiv:1208.2037. Bibcode:2012MNRAS.427..343M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21873.x. S2CID 118665352.
  9. ^ "LPV of the Month December, 2016". Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  10. ^ Mason, Brian D.; Wycoff, Gary L.; Hartkopf, William I.; Douglass, Geoffrey G.; Worley, Charles E. (2001). "The 2001 US Naval Observatory Double Star CD-ROM. I. The Washington Double Star Catalog". The Astronomical Journal. 122 (6): 3466. Bibcode:2001AJ....122.3466M. doi:10.1086/323920.