Lambda Muscae
Encyclopedia
Lambda Muscae often catalogued HD 102249 or HIP 57363, is the fourth brightest star in the southern hemisphere
constellation of Musca
(the Fly
). Lambda Muscae visibly makes up the far end of the tail of the visual Musca constellation. It is a star in a dual system according to studies, and one of the stars catalogued in astronomer Johann Bayer
's 1603 publications Uranometria
. Lambda Muscae more recently has been recorded as having a stellar classification
of A7III. Thus, Lambda Muscae has a white tint and burns significantly hotter than our own sun
.
for the Hipparcos Star Catalogue, Lambda Muscae exhibits a parallax
of 25.42 milliarcseconds. With this data it can be calculated that Lambda Muscae is situated at a distance of 39.3 parsecs
, or 128.0 light years, away from the sun.
Lambda Muscae is a star of the third magnitude
(or 3.68(v) to be exact) when viewed from the Earth
, and is visible to the naked eye
in regions that lack dense light pollution
.
Lambda Muscae is the farthest right star in the visual constellation of Musca
and is thus the tail of the fly.
of A7III. The A7 portion of this designation that Lambda Muscae is a class A7 star, meaning the light it emits is bluish-white in color and burns at a temperature significantly hotter than our own sun
(Sol), which is a G2 star. A7 stars are on the larger end of the Harvard spectral classification list, being only smaller and dimmer than Class-O and Class-B stars. The second part of the classification, III, specifies that Lambda Muscae is a giant star
which has yet to reach the main sequence
of star life like the sun.
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
constellation of Musca
Musca
Musca is one of the minor southern constellations. The constellation was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and it first appeared on a 35-cm diameter celestial globe published in 1597 in Amsterdam by...
(the Fly
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
). Lambda Muscae visibly makes up the far end of the tail of the visual Musca constellation. It is a star in a dual system according to studies, and one of the stars catalogued in astronomer Johann Bayer
Johann Bayer
Johann Bayer was a German lawyer and uranographer . He was born in Rain, Bavaria, in 1572. He began his study of philosophy in Ingolstadt in 1592, and moved later to Augsburg to begin work as a lawyer. He grew interested in astronomy during his time in Augsburg...
's 1603 publications Uranometria
Uranometria
Uranometria is the short title of a star atlas produced by Johann Bayer.It was published in Augsburg, Germany, in 1603 by Christophorus Mangus under the full title Uranometria : omnium asterismorum continens schemata, nova methodo delineata, aereis laminis expressa. This translates to...
. Lambda Muscae more recently has been recorded as having a stellar classification
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...
of A7III. Thus, Lambda Muscae has a white tint and burns significantly hotter than our own 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...
.
Distance and visibility
Based on research done by the European Space AgencyEuropean Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
for the Hipparcos Star Catalogue, Lambda Muscae exhibits a parallax
Parallax
Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. The term is derived from the Greek παράλλαξις , meaning "alteration"...
of 25.42 milliarcseconds. With this data it can be calculated that Lambda Muscae is situated at a distance of 39.3 parsecs
Parsec
The parsec is a unit of length used in astronomy. It is about 3.26 light-years, or just under 31 trillion kilometres ....
, or 128.0 light years, away from the sun.
Lambda Muscae is a star of the third 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...
(or 3.68(v) to be exact) when viewed from the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and is visible to the naked eye
Naked eye
The naked eye is a figure of speech referring to human visual perception unaided by a magnifying or light-collecting optical device, such as a telescope or microscope. Vision corrected to normal acuity using corrective lenses is considered "naked"...
in regions that lack dense light pollution
Light pollution
Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excessive or obtrusive artificial light.The International Dark-Sky Association defines light pollution as:...
.
Lambda Muscae is the farthest right star in the visual constellation of Musca
Musca
Musca is one of the minor southern constellations. The constellation was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and it first appeared on a 35-cm diameter celestial globe published in 1597 in Amsterdam by...
and is thus the tail of the fly.
Stellar characteristics
Lambda Muscae has a listed spectral typeStellar 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...
of A7III. The A7 portion of this designation that Lambda Muscae is a class A7 star, meaning the light it emits is bluish-white in color and burns at a temperature significantly hotter than our own 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...
(Sol), which is a G2 star. A7 stars are on the larger end of the Harvard spectral classification list, being only smaller and dimmer than Class-O and Class-B stars. The second part of the classification, III, specifies that Lambda Muscae 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...
which has yet to reach the main sequence
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...
of star life like the sun.
See also
- Musca constellationMuscaMusca is one of the minor southern constellations. The constellation was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and it first appeared on a 35-cm diameter celestial globe published in 1597 in Amsterdam by...
- List of stars in Musca
- Table of stars with Bayer designationsTable of stars with Bayer designationsThis table lists those stars/objects which have Greek-letter Bayer designations.Only those stars which have individual articles are shown in the table. The name given is that of the article if it does not reflect the Bayer designation...