Lambda Virginis
Binary star system in Virgo with chemically peculiar components.
Lambda Virginis is a binary star system in the constellation Virgo, visible to the naked eye at magnitude 4.5. Parallax measurements place it about 173 light-years from the Sun. Its two components are designated Lambda Virginis A, formally named Khambalia, and B.
Quick Facts
- Apparent visual magnitude
- 4.5
- Distance from sun
- 173 light-years
- Spectral type
- A1V
- Orbital period
- 206.7 days
- Orbital eccentricity
- 0.0610
- Orbital inclination
- 110°
- Age
- 935 million years
Facts from the source article.
Nomenclature
The Bayer designation for the system is Lambda Virginis. The Washington Multiplicity Catalog convention, adopted by the International Astronomical Union, assigns the designations Lambda Virginis A and B to the two components. The name Khambalia originates from a Coptic manuscript list of lunar stations, where the system appears as χαμβαλια. Crum concluded these names were either in debased Greek or Coptic equivalents of Greek names; the Greeks are not known to have used lunar stations, so the origin is uncertain. Allen translates the name as the crooked-clawed, linking it to the Greek word γαμψωλή, a variant of γαμψότης meaning crookedness of talons. Coptic lacks a g sound and often substitutes k for g in Greek words, though not usually kh. In 2016 the IAU Working Group on Star Names approved Khambalia for Lambda Virginis A. In China, the asterism Neck includes this system along with Kappa Virginis, Iota Virginis, and Phi Virginis; Lambda Virginis itself is known by a Chinese designation.
Properties
Lambda Virginis is a double-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 206.7 days and an eccentricity of 0.0610. The semi-major axis angular size is 0.02 arcseconds, corresponding to a physical span in astronomical units at the system's distance. The orbit is inclined 110° to the line of sight. Tidal theory predicts eventual circularization and synchronization of rotation with orbital motion, but this will take over 1.2 billion years, while the system's estimated age is 935 million years. The combined spectra give a classification of A1V, an A-type main-sequence star. The components have magnitudes +5.0 and +5.6, both are Am stars chemically peculiar, and the primary rotates about 3.5 times faster than the secondary.
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