Omicron Aurigae
An astrometric binary with a chemically peculiar A-type primary.
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Omicron Aurigae, also known by its Bayer designation ο Aurigae, is an astrometric binary star system in the northern constellation Auriga. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 5.47, making it just barely visible without a telescope. Based on its annual parallax shift, the system is roughly 400 light-years from Earth, and it is moving toward the Sun at a radial velocity of −8 km/s. Omicron Aurigae belongs to the Ursa Major stream, a group of stars that share a common motion through space.
The visible component is a chemically peculiar star, classified as an A-type star. Its spectrum shows unusually high levels of chromium and europium.
A magnetic field has been detected around the star, and it emits X-rays with a luminosity of log Lx = 29.1. This star has about 1.9 times the Sun’s mass and 3.2 times its radius. It rotates with a projected rotational velocity of 35 km/s and radiates 50 times the Sun’s luminosity from its photosphere, which has an effective temperature of 8,300 K.
Quick Facts
- Bayer designation
- ο Aurigae
- Apparent visual magnitude
- 5.47
- Distance
- ~400 ly
- Radial velocity
- −8 km/s
- Mass (visible component)
- 1.9 M☉
- Radius (visible component)
- 3.2 R☉
- Luminosity (visible component)
- 50 L / 50,000 cc☉
- Effective temperature
- 8,300 K
Facts from the source article.
Background
The visible component of Omicron Aurigae is a chemically peculiar star of spectral type A, exhibiting anomalously high abundances of chromium (Cr) and europium (Eu) in its spectrum. A magnetic field has been detected, and the star is a source of X-ray emission with a luminosity of log Lx = 29.1. The star has 1.9 times the mass of the Sun and 3.2 times the Sun's radius, radiating 50 times the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 8,300 K. It spins with a projected rotational velocity of 35 km/s.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Omicron Aurigae (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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