Alpha Lupi
Encyclopedia
Alpha Lupi is the brightest star
in the constellation
Lupus
.
In Chinese
, , meaning Imperial Guards
, refers to an asterism consisting of α Lupi, γ Lupi
, δ Lupi
, κ Centauri
, β Lupi
, λ Lupi, ε Lupi, μ Lup, π Lupi
and ο Lupi . Consequently, α Lupi itself is known as .
R. H. Allen had opinion that this star was listed it in the Chinese asterism
Yang Mun or Men（南門), meaning "the South Gate", in his work Star-Names and their Meanings
. But in Chinese astronomy, 南門 is located in Horn
mansion and consisted by α
and ε
Centauri. Yang Mun was translated in Pinyin
as 陽門, meaning "the Yang Gate", refers to the asterism in Neck
mansion, containing the stars in Centaurus
. Allen also suggested that the Babylonian name for the star was "Kakkab Su-gub Gud-Elim" (Star Left Hand of the Horned Bull).
Alpha Lupi is a giant star
of spectral type B1.5. In 1956 it was identified as a Beta Cephei variable
. The variability period is 0.29585 days (or just over 7 hours, 6 minutes). The magnitude varies by about 0.03, or about 3% of the total luminosity. A small star situated near Alpha Lupi may just be an optical companion.
This star is a member of the Scorpius-Centaurus Association
, the nearest OB association
to the Sun
. This is a gravitationally unbound stellar association with an estimated age of 16–20 million years. The association is also the source of a bubble of hot gas that contains the Sun.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
in the constellation
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....
Lupus
Lupus (constellation)
Lupus is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for wolf. Lupus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations...
.
In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, , meaning Imperial Guards
Root (Chinese constellation)
The Root mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.-Asterisms:...
, refers to an asterism consisting of α Lupi, γ Lupi
Gamma Lupi
Gamma Lupi is a 3rd-magnitude, B-type blue giant star in the constellation of Lupus. It is also known in ancient Chinese astronomy as 騎官一 or "the 1st of the Cavalry Officer". With a telescope, Gamma Lupi can be resolved into a binary star system in close orbit. This is known as the Gamma Lupi AB...
, δ Lupi
Delta Lupi
Delta Lupi is a blue-white subgiant B-type, 3rd-magnitude star in the constellation Lupus.It is 騎官二, "the 2nd of the Cavalry Officer", in traditional Chinese astronomy....
, κ Centauri
Kappa Centauri
Kappa Centauri is a binary star in the constellation Centaurus. It is approximately 540 light years from the Earth....
, β Lupi
Beta Lupi
Beta Lupi is a B-type, 3rd-magnitude star in the constellation Lupus.In Chinese, , meaning Imperial Guards, refers to an asterism consisting of β Lupi, γ Lupi, δ Lupi, κ Centauri, λ Lupi, ε Lupi, μ Lup, π Lupi, ο Lupi and α Lupi. Consequently, β Lupi itself is known as...
, λ Lupi, ε Lupi, μ Lup, π Lupi
Pi Lupi
π Lupi is a star in a double system.-References:*...
and ο Lupi . Consequently, α Lupi itself is known as .
R. H. Allen had opinion that this star was listed it in the Chinese asterism
Asterism (astronomy)
In astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars recognized on Earth's night sky. It may form part of an official constellation, or be composed of stars from more than one. Like constellations, asterisms are in most cases composed of stars which, while they are visible in the same general direction,...
Yang Mun or Men（南門), meaning "the South Gate", in his work Star-Names and their Meanings
Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning
Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning is a book by Richard Hinckley Allen, published in 1899.It discusses the names of stars and constellations and their origin.-Author:...
. But in Chinese astronomy, 南門 is located in Horn
Horn (Chinese constellation)
The Horn mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.-Asterisms:...
mansion and consisted by α
Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus...
and ε
Epsilon Centauri
Epsilon Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus.In Chinese, , meaning Southern Gate, refers to an asterism consisting of ε Centauri and α Centauri. Consequently, ε Centauri itself is known as...
Centauri. Yang Mun was translated in Pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
as 陽門, meaning "the Yang Gate", refers to the asterism in Neck
Neck (Chinese constellation)
The Neck mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.In Chinese Cosmology, the Kang Constellation is associated with the Kidney Organ...
mansion, containing the stars in Centaurus
Centaurus
Centaurus is a bright constellation in the southern sky. One of the largest constellations, Centaurus was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations.-Stars:...
. Allen also suggested that the Babylonian name for the star was "Kakkab Su-gub Gud-Elim" (Star Left Hand of the Horned Bull).
Alpha Lupi is a giant star
Giant star
A giant star is a star with substantially larger radius and luminosity than a main sequence star of the same surface temperature. Typically, giant stars have radii between 10 and 100 solar radii and luminosities between 10 and 1,000 times that of the Sun. Stars still more luminous than giants are...
of spectral type B1.5. In 1956 it was identified as a Beta Cephei variable
Beta Cephei variable
Beta Cephei variables are variable stars which exhibit variations in their brightness due to pulsations of the stars' surfaces. The point of maximum brightness roughly corresponds to the maximum contraction of the star. Typically, Beta Cephei variables change in brightness by 0.01 to 0.3...
. The variability period is 0.29585 days (or just over 7 hours, 6 minutes). The magnitude varies by about 0.03, or about 3% of the total luminosity. A small star situated near Alpha Lupi may just be an optical companion.
This star is a member of the Scorpius-Centaurus Association
Scorpius-Centaurus Association
The Scorpius-Centaurus Association is the nearestOB Association to the Sun. This stellar association is composed of three subgroups The Scorpius-Centaurus Association (sometimes called Sco-Cen or Sco OB2) is the nearestOB Association to the Sun. This stellar association is composed of three...
, the nearest OB association
Stellar kinematics
Stellar kinematics is the study of the movement of stars without needing to understand how they acquired their motion. This differs from stellar dynamics, which takes into account gravitational effects...
to the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. This is a gravitationally unbound stellar association with an estimated age of 16–20 million years. The association is also the source of a bubble of hot gas that contains the Sun.
See also
- Traditional Chinese star namesTraditional Chinese star namesTraditional Chinese star names are the names of stars used in ancient Chinese literature, history, religion, mythology, folklore, Chinese opera and such methods of divination as astrology, horoscope and Feng shui...
- Centaurus
- Lupus