44 Boötis
Encyclopedia
44 Boötis or i Boötis is a triple star system in the constellation
Boötes
. It is approximately 41.6 light years
from Earth.
The primary component, 44 Boötis A, is a yellow-white F-type
main sequence dwarf
with a mean apparent magnitude
of +4.83. The companion component, 44 Boötis B, is a W Ursae Majoris variable
spectroscopic binary. The brightness of the binary varies from magnitude +5.8 to +6.40 with a period of 6.43 hours. The components of the eclipsing binary are separated by 0.008 Astronomical Unit
s, roughly 3 times the distance of the Moon from Earth.
-type eclipsing binary with likely substellar mass. Its minimum mass is estimated at 48 times that of Jupiter
and the orbital separation at 10.73 AU
s (a bit farther away than Saturn
in the Solar System
). So far unconfirmed, such an object seems unstable considering the system's architecture, with 44 Bootis B-C getting as close as 26.6 AU
s to 44 Bootis A, unless it is locked in some kind of peculiar configuration and inclination.
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Boötes
Boötes
Boötes is a constellation in the northern sky, located between 0° and +60° declination, and 13 and 16 hours of right ascension on the celestial sphere. The name comes from the Greek Βοώτης, Boōtēs, meaning herdsman or plowman...
. It is approximately 41.6 light years
Light Years
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
from Earth.
The primary component, 44 Boötis A, is a yellow-white F-type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
main sequence dwarf
Main sequence
The main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell...
with a mean apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of +4.83. The companion component, 44 Boötis B, is a W Ursae Majoris variable
W Ursae Majoris variable
A W Ursae Majoris variable is a type of eclipsing binary variable star. These stars are close binaries, whose surfaces are in contact with one another. They are termed contact binaries because the two stars touch and they essentially share material in their outer layers. Through the neck between...
spectroscopic binary. The brightness of the binary varies from magnitude +5.8 to +6.40 with a period of 6.43 hours. The components of the eclipsing binary are separated by 0.008 Astronomical Unit
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
s, roughly 3 times the distance of the Moon from Earth.
A substellar companion?
Recent analysis in timing variations for 44 Bootis B would suggest the presence of a third body orbiting the W Ursae MajorisW Ursae Majoris
W Ursae Majoris is a variable star in the constellation Ursa Major. It is an eclipsing contact binary whose two component stars share a common outer layer, and is the prototype of a class of contact binary variables known as W Ursae Majoris variables...
-type eclipsing binary with likely substellar mass. Its minimum mass is estimated at 48 times that of Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
and the orbital separation at 10.73 AU
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
s (a bit farther away than Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
in the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
). So far unconfirmed, such an object seems unstable considering the system's architecture, with 44 Bootis B-C getting as close as 26.6 AU
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
s to 44 Bootis A, unless it is locked in some kind of peculiar configuration and inclination.
External links
- http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/NWS08/Event/86666