Kappa Centauri
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Kappa Centauri is a triple star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from κ Centauri, and abbreviated Kappa Cen or κ Cen. With an apparent visual magnitude of +3.14,[2] it can be viewed with the naked eye on a dark night. Parallax measurements place it at an estimated distance of 400 light-years (120 parsecs) from Earth.[1]
Characteristics
Kappa Centauri consists of an outer visual pair consisting of the components AB and C, and an inner pair consisting of the components A and B. The inner pair is a spectroscopic binary system where the presence of an orbiting companion is revealed by shifts in the absorption lines caused by the Doppler effect. They take 58 years to complete an orbit, have a small eccentricity of 0.304, and are seen orbiting nearly edge-on.[1]
The primary, component A, has about 8.4 times the Sun's mass[1] and four times the Sun's radius.[9] It has a stellar classification of B2V,[1] indicating that it is in the main sequence stage of its stellar evolution. An effective temperature of 20,900 K[1] in the outer envelope is what gives it the blue-white hue of a B-type star.[15] It is a candidate Beta Cephei variable that shows line-profile variations in its spectrum. However, the nature of the variability remains uncertain because of the binary nature of the system.[3]
The secondary, component B, is also a B-type main-sequence star, of spectral class B3V. It has 4.4 times the Sun's mass and an effective temperature of 18,800 K.[1]
The outer companion C is separated by 3.9" from the inner pair and has an estimated orbital period of 3,200 years.[16] It is an K-type main-sequence star with a spectral type K2V.[4] The star has 0.67 times the mass of the Sun and an effective temperature of 4,829 K.[12]
This system is a proper motion member of the Upper Centaurus–Lupus sub-group in the Scorpius–Centaurus OB association, the nearest such co-moving association of massive stars to the Sun.[7]
In Chinese astronomy
In Chinese, Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".), meaning Imperial Guards, refers to an asterism consisting of κ Centauri, γ Lupi, δ Lupi, β Lupi, λ Lupi, ε Lupi, μ Lup, π Lupi, ο Lupi and α Lupi.[17] Consequently, the Chinese name for κ Centauri itself is Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang"., Template:Langx.).[18] From this Chinese name, the name Ke Kwan has appeared.[19]
See also
References
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- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gutierrez-Moreno, Adelina; Moreno, Hugo (June 1968), "A Photometric Investigation of the Scorpio-Centaurus Association", Astrophysical Journal Supplement, 15: 459, Bibcode:1968ApJS...15..459G, doi:10.1086/190168.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Schrijvers, C.; et al. (2002), "A Spectroscopic Search for Non-Radial Pulsations in Early B-Type Stars", in Aerts, Conny; Bedding, Timothy R.; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jørgen (eds.), Radial and Nonradial Pulsations as Probes of Stellar Physics, ASP Conference Proceedings, vol. 259, San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, p. 204, Bibcode:2002ASPC..259..204S.
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Daszyńska-Daszkiewicz, J.; et al. (September 2017), Zwintz, Konnstanze; Poretti, Ennio (eds.), "The solitary g-mode frequencies in early B-type stars", Second BRITE-Constellation Science Conference: Small satellites—big science, Proceedings of the Polish Astronomical Society volume 5, held 22-26 August, 2016 in Innsbruck, Austria, Warsaw, Poland: Polish Astronomical Society, Bartycka 18, 00-716, pp. 138–144, arXiv:1701.00961, Bibcode:2017sbcs.conf..138D.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Evans, D. S. (June 20–24, 1966), "The Revision of the General Catalogue of Radial Velocities", in Batten, Alan Henry; Heard, John Frederick (eds.), Determination of Radial Velocities and their Applications, Proceedings from IAU Symposium no. 30, vol. 30, University of Toronto: International Astronomical Union, p. 57, Bibcode:1967IAUS...30...57E.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.van Leeuwen, F. (November 2007), "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 474 (2): 653–664, arXiv:0708.1752, Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357, S2CID 18759600.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.de Geus, E. J.; et al. (June 1989), "Physical parameters of stars in the Scorpio-Centaurus OB association", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 216 (1–2): 44–61, Bibcode:1989A&A...216...44D.
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- ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hubrig, S.; et al. (January 2009), "New magnetic field measurements of beta Cephei stars and Slowly Pulsating B stars", Astronomische Nachrichten, 330 (4): 317, arXiv:0902.1314, Bibcode:2009AN....330..317H, doi:10.1002/asna.200811187, S2CID 17497112.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bernacca, P. L.; Perinotto, M. (1970), "A catalogue of stellar rotational velocities", Contributi Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova in Asiago, 239 (1), Bibcode:1970CoAsi.239....1B.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tetzlaff, N.; et al. (January 2011), "A catalogue of young runaway Hipparcos stars within 3 kpc from the Sun", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 410 (1): 190–200, arXiv:1007.4883, Bibcode:2011MNRAS.410..190T, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17434.x, S2CID 118629873.
- ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Anders, F.; et al. (August 2019), "Photo-astrometric distances, extinctions, and astrophysical parameters for Gaia DR2 stars brighter than G = 18", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 628: A94, arXiv:1904.11302, Bibcode:2019A&A...628A..94A, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201935765, ISSN 0004-6361.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."kap Cen". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|mode=Script error: No such module "Citation mode".(help)CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.MAST: Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, Space Telescope Science Institute, retrieved 1 October 2024.
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tokovinin, Andrei (March 2018), "The Updated Multiple Star Catalog", The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 235 (1): 6, arXiv:1712.04750, Bibcode:2018ApJS..235....6T, doi:10.3847/1538-4365/aaa1a5, ISSN 0067-0049. Kappa Centauri's database entry at VizieR.
- ^ Template:In lang 中國星座神話, written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, Template:ISBN.
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Allen, Richard Hinckley (1963), "Centaurus", Star Names — Their Lore and Meaning (Dover ed.), p. 148, retrieved 2025-12-14.
