VZ Arietis
A white-hued Ap star and Alpha2 CVn variable in Aries.
VZ Arietis is a single, white-hued variable star in the northern zodiac constellation of Aries. It varies between magnitudes 5.82 and 5.89, making it visible to the naked eye in dark, unpolluted areas. The star is notable as a chemically peculiar Ap star and an Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variable.
- Constellation
- Aries
- Apparent magnitude range
- 5.82 – 5.89
- Distance
- 560 light-years
- Radial velocity
- +14 km/s
- Spectral type
- A0 V
- Mass
- 2.7 solar masses
- Radius
- 3.1 solar radii
- Luminosity
- 79 solar luminosities
- Effective temperature
- 10,304 K
Lore & Background
VZ Arietis was formerly known as 16 Trianguli, but as the star is no longer in the constellation Triangulum, that designation has fallen out of use. In 1984, the Czechoslovak astronomer Juraj Zverko announced that the star, then called HR 830, is a variable star. It received its variable star designation VZ Arietis in 1987.
The star is a chemically peculiar type CP2 (Ap star), showing an anomalous abundance of silicon in its spectrum. It has a stellar classification of A0 V, indicating it is an A-type main-sequence star currently fusing hydrogen into helium in its core. As an Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variable, it exhibits variations tied to its strong magnetic field and chemical spots. Based upon an annual parallax shift, it is located 560 light-years from the Sun and is moving further away with a heliocentric radial velocity of +14 km/s.
Reader's Guide
VZ Arietis holds significance as a chemically peculiar Ap star of type CP2, distinguished by an anomalous silicon abundance in its spectrum. Its classification as an Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variable places it among a class of rotating magnetic stars whose brightness variations arise from surface chemical spots. The star's variability was announced in 1984 by Juraj Zverko, and it received its official variable star designation in 1987. Its former designation, 16 Trianguli, fell out of use when the star was recognized as lying within the boundaries of Aries rather than Triangulum. With a mass 2.7 times that of the Sun and a radius 3.1 times solar, VZ Arietis radiates 79 times the Sun's luminosity from a photosphere at 10,304 K. Its apparent magnitude range of 5.82 to 5.89 allows naked-eye observation under dark skies, making it accessible to amateur astronomers interested in variable stars. The star's distance of 560 light-years and radial velocity of +14 km/s provide context for its motion through the galaxy.
Did You Know?
- VZ Arietis was formerly known as 16 Trianguli, but that designation fell out of use when the star was no longer in Triangulum.
- Its variability was announced in 1984 by Czechoslovak astronomer Juraj Zverko.
- It is a chemically peculiar Ap star with an anomalous abundance of silicon.
- The star has 2.7 times the mass of the Sun and 3.1 times its radius.
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