WR 104

WR 104

WR 104
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Sagittarius
Right ascension 18h 02m 04.07s[1]
Declination −23° 37′ 41.2″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 13.28 (12.7 - 14.6)[2] + 15.36[3]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage Wolf–Rayet star
Spectral type WC9d/B0.5V[4] + O8V–O5V[5]
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: 0.161[6] mas/yr
Dec.: −1.827[6] mas/yr
Parallax (π)0.2431 ± 0.0988 mas[6]
Distance2,580±120[5] pc
Absolute magnitude (MV)−5.4 (−4.8 + −4.6)[7]
Orbit[8]
Period (P)241.5 days
Semi-major axis (a)2.34 AU
Eccentricity (e)< 0.06
Inclination (i)< 16°
Details
Mass30[5] M☉
Luminosity120,000[5] L☉
Age7[5] Myr
WR
Mass10[5] M☉
Radius3.29[5][a] R☉
Luminosity40,000[5] L☉
Temperature45,000[5] K
OB
Mass20[5] M☉
Radius10[9] R☉
Luminosity80,000[5] L☉
Temperature30,000[5][9] K
B
Radius7.98[5][a] R☉
Luminosity68,000[5] L☉
Temperature≥33,000[5] K
Other designations
V5097 Sgr, IRAS 17590-2337, UCAC2 22296214, CSI−23-17590, IRC −20417, RAFGL 2048, MSX6C G006.4432-00.4858, Ve 2-45
Database references
SIMBADdata

WR 104 is a triple star system located about 2,580 parsecs (8,400 ly) from Earth. The primary star is a Wolf–Rayet star (abbreviated as WR), which has a B0.5 main sequence star in close orbit and another more distant fainter companion.

The WR star is surrounded by a distinctive spiral Wolf–Rayet nebula, often referred to as a pinwheel nebula. The rotational axis of the binary system, and likely of the two closest stars, is directed approximately towards Earth. Within the next few hundred thousand years, the Wolf–Rayet star is predicted to experience a core-collapse supernova with a small chance of producing a long-duration gamma-ray burst.

The possibility of a supernova explosion from WR 104 having destructive consequences for life on Earth stirred interest in the mass media, and several popular science articles have been issued in the press since 2008. Some articles decide to reject the catastrophic scenario, while others leave it as an open question.[10][11][12][13]

  1. ^ a b Cutri, Roc M.; Skrutskie, Michael F.; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Beichman, Charles A.; Carpenter, John M.; Chester, Thomas; Cambresy, Laurent; Evans, Tracey E.; Fowler, John W.; Gizis, John E.; Howard, Elizabeth V.; Huchra, John P.; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Kopan, Eugene L.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Light, Robert M.; Marsh, Kenneth A.; McCallon, Howard L.; Schneider, Stephen E.; Stiening, Rae; Sykes, Matthew J.; Weinberg, Martin D.; Wheaton, William A.; Wheelock, Sherry L.; Zacarias, N. (2003). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: 2MASS All-Sky Catalog of Point Sources (Cutri+ 2003)". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues. 2246: II/246. Bibcode:2003yCat.2246....0C. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Williams, P. M. (2014). "Eclipses and dust formation by WC9 type Wolf–Rayet stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 445 (2): 1253–1260. arXiv:1408.6759. Bibcode:2014MNRAS.445.1253W. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu1779. ISSN 0035-8711. S2CID 119264818.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference wallace was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Van Der Hucht, K. A. (2001). "The VIIth catalogue of galactic Wolf–Rayet stars". New Astronomy Reviews. 45 (3): 135–232. Bibcode:2001NewAR..45..135V. doi:10.1016/S1387-6473(00)00112-3.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Soulain, A; Millour, F; Lopez, B; Matter, A; Lagadec, E; Carbillet, M; Camera, A; Lamberts, A; Langlois, M; Milli, J; Avenhaus, H; Magnard, Y; Roux, A; Moulin, T; Carle, M; Sevin, A; Martinez, P; Abe, L; Ramos, J (2018). "The SPHERE view of Wolf–Rayet 104". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 618: A108. arXiv:1806.08525. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201832817. S2CID 119195253.
  6. ^ a b c 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.
  7. ^ Williams, P. M.; van der Hucht, K. A. (2000). "Spectroscopy of WC9 Wolf–Rayet stars: a search for companions". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 314 (1): 23–32. Bibcode:2000MNRAS.314...23W. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03332.x. ISSN 0035-8711.
  8. ^ Lamberts, A.; Dubus, G.; Lesur, G.; Fromang, S. (2012). "Impact of orbital motion on the structure and stability of adiabatic shocks in colliding wind binaries". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 546: A60. arXiv:1202.2060. Bibcode:2012A&A...546A..60L. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219006. S2CID 119202656.
  9. ^ a b Harries, Tim J.; Monnier, John D.; Symington, Neil H.; Kurosawa, Ryuichi (2004). "Three-dimensional dust radiative-transfer models: The Pinwheel Nebula of WR 104". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 350 (2): 565. arXiv:astro-ph/0401574. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.350..565H. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07668.x. S2CID 15291717.
  10. ^ Plait, Phil (March 3, 2008). "WR 104: A nearby gamma-ray burst?". Discover magazine. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Sanderson, Katharine (March 6, 2008). "'Death Star' found pointing at Earth". Nature. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  12. ^ Q. Choi, Charles (March 10, 2008). "Real Death Star Could Strike Earth". Space.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  13. ^ Kluger, Jeffrey (December 21, 2012). "The Super-Duper, Planet-Frying, Exploding Star That's Not Going to Hurt Us, So Please Stop Worrying About It". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2016.


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