Alpha Octantis

Alpha Octantis

A light curve for Alpha Octantis plotted from TESS data[1]
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Octans
Right ascension 21h 04m 43.06347s[2]
Declination −77° 01′ 25.5735″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 5.13[3]
Characteristics
Spectral type F4III + F5III
(spectroscopic binary)[4]
U−B color index +0.13[5]
B−V color index +0.490±0.008[3]
Variable type EB[6]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)85.9±1.5[3] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +22.5215[2] mas/yr
Dec.: −369.325[2] mas/yr
Parallax (π)22.5215 ± 0.0955 mas[2]
Distance144.8 ± 0.6 ly
(44.4 ± 0.2 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)1.93±0.02[7]
Orbit[4]
Period (P)9.073 d
Eccentricity (e)0.39
Periastron epoch (T)2,435,302.404
Argument of periastron (ω)
(secondary)		276°
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)		47 km/s
Semi-amplitude (K2)
(secondary)		47 km/s
Details
Mass1.42[8] M☉
Radius3.69[9] R☉
Temperature6,270[7] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.07[7] dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)85[10] km/s
Age1.5±0.1[7] Gyr
Other designations
α Oct, CD−77°1053, CPD−77°1474, FK5 787, GC 29343, HD 199532, HIP 104043, HR 8021, SAO 257879, PPM 374864, LTT 8327, NLTT 50332[11]
Database references
SIMBADdata

Alpha Octantis is a binary star[12] system in the constellation of Octans. The name is Latinized from α Octantis. Despite being labeled the "alpha" star by Lacaille, it is not the brightest star in the constellation—that title belongs to Nu Octantis. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint, yellow-white-hued point of light with an overall apparent visual magnitude of approximately 5.13.[3] The system is located approximately 148 light-years away from the Sun based on parallax.

This is a double-lined spectroscopic binary star which consists of two similar giant stars, each with spectral type F, orbiting each other with a period of just over 9 days and an eccentricity of 0.39.[4] The pair form a Beta Lyrae-type eclipsing binary system, dropping by magnitude 0.04 during the primary eclipse.[6] This system is a bright X-ray source with a luminosity of 22.78×1029 ergs s−1.[13] The system displays an infrared excess suggesting the presence of two debris disks; the first has a temperature of 450 K and is orbiting at a distance of 1.40 AU from its host star, while the second is a much cooler 40 K and orbits 187.8 AU from the system.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference MAST was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 616. A1. arXiv:1804.09365. Bibcode:2018A&A...616A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Anderson2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c The double-lined binary alpha Octantis, William Buscombe and Pamela M. Morris, The Observatory 80 (February 1960), pp. 28–29, Bibcode:1960Obs....80...28B.
  5. ^ HR 8021, 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 September 4, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Samus', N. N; et al. (2017). "General catalogue of variable stars". Astronomy Reports. 5.1. 61 (1): 80. Bibcode:2017ARep...61...80S. doi:10.1134/S1063772917010085. S2CID 125853869.
  7. ^ a b c d Nordström, B.; et al. (2004). "The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the Solar neighbourhood. Ages, metallicities, and kinematic properties of ˜14 000 F and G dwarfs". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 418: 989–1019. arXiv:astro-ph/0405198. Bibcode:2004A&A...418..989N. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20035959. S2CID 11027621.
  8. ^ Tokovinin, A.; et al. (May 2006), "Tertiary companions to close spectroscopic binaries", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 450 (2): 681–693, arXiv:astro-ph/0601518, Bibcode:2006A&A...450..681T, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20054427, S2CID 8899546
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Cotten2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ van Belle, Gerard T. (March 2012). "Interferometric observations of rapidly rotating stars". The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review. 20 (1): 51. arXiv:1204.2572. Bibcode:2012A&ARv..20...51V. doi:10.1007/s00159-012-0051-2. S2CID 119273474.
  11. ^ "* alf Oct". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved September 4, 2008.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eggleton2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Makarov2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).