Beta Lupi
Encyclopedia
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 . From this Chinese name, the name Ke Kwan was appeared.
It lies close to the supernova remnant
SN 1006
.
Beta Lupi is a blue giant, located about 524 light-year
s from Earth. It is near the end of its hydrogen phase
, where hydrogen is fused into the element
helium
, and transferring into a red supergiant
star. It is predicted that the star will supernova
, but there is still the possibility of Beta Lupi becoming a white dwarf
.
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 β 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....
, λ Lupi, ε Lupi, μ Lup, π Lupi
Pi Lupi
π Lupi is a star in a double system.-References:*...
, ο Lupi and α Lupi
Alpha Lupi
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...
. Consequently, β Lupi itself is known as . From this Chinese name, the name Ke Kwan was appeared.
It lies close to the supernova remnant
Supernova remnant
A supernova remnant is the structure resulting from the explosion of a star in a supernova. The supernova remnant is bounded by an expanding shock wave, and consists of ejected material expanding from the explosion, and the interstellar material it sweeps up and shocks along the way.There are two...
SN 1006
SN 1006
SN 1006 was a supernova, widely seen on Earth beginning in the year 1006 AD; Earth was about 7,200 light-years away from the supernova. It was the brightest apparent magnitude stellar event in recorded history reaching an estimated -7.5 visual magnitude...
.
Beta Lupi is a blue giant, located about 524 light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s from Earth. It is near the end of its hydrogen phase
Stellar evolution
Stellar evolution is the process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime. Depending on the mass of the star, this lifetime ranges from only a few million years to trillions of years .Stellar evolution is not studied by observing the life of a single...
, where hydrogen is fused into the element
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
, and transferring into a red supergiant
Red supergiant
Red supergiants are supergiant stars of spectral type K or M. They are the largest stars in the universe in terms of volume, although they are not the most massive...
star. It is predicted that the star will supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
, but there is still the possibility of Beta Lupi becoming a white dwarf
White dwarf
A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a small star composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. They are very dense; a white dwarf's mass is comparable to that of the Sun and its volume is comparable to that of the Earth. Its faint luminosity comes from the emission of stored...
.