WR 22

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WR 22
Carina Nebula around the Wolf-Rayet star WR 22.jpg
WR 22 in the Carina nebula
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0        Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Carina
Right ascension 10h 41m 17.51590s [1]
Declination −59° 40 36.8957 [1]
Apparent magnitude  (V)6.42 [2]
Characteristics
Spectral type WN7h + O9III-V [3]
Apparent magnitude  (U)5.68 [2]
Apparent magnitude  (B)6.50 [2]
Apparent magnitude  (J)5.705 [4]
Apparent magnitude  (H)5.578 [4]
Apparent magnitude  (K)5.389 [4]
U−B color index 0.82 [2]
B−V color index 0.08 [2]
J−H color index 0.127 [4]
J−K color index 0.316 [4]
Variable type Eclipsing binary [5]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)28.00 [6]  km/s
Proper motion (μ)RA: 7.321 [7]   mas/yr
Dec.: 3.091 [7]   mas/yr
Parallax (π)0.3953 ± 0.0348  mas [7]
Distance 8,300 ± 700  ly
(2,500 ± 200  pc)
Absolute magnitude  (MV)6.73 + 4.44 [5]
Orbit [8]
PrimaryWR
CompanionO
Period (P)80.336 days [9]
Semi-major axis (a)330 R
Eccentricity (e)0.598
Inclination (i)83.5 [9] °
Argument of periastron (ω)
(secondary)
268.2°
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)
70.6 km/s
Semi-amplitude (K2)
(secondary)
190.0 km/s
Details
WR
Mass 49 - 75 [10]   M
Radius 22.65 [10]   R
Luminosity 1,905,000 [10]   L
Temperature 44,700 [10] [11]   K
O
Mass 25.7 [12]   M
Radius 11 [12]   R
Luminosity130,000 [12]   L
Temperature 33,000 [12]   K
Age 2.2 [11]   Myr
Other designations
CD 59°3221, HR  4188, HD  92740, V429  Carinae, HIP  52308
Database references
SIMBAD data

WR 22, also known as V429 Carinae or HR 4188, is an eclipsing binary star system in the constellation Carina. The system contains a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star that is one of the most massive and most luminous stars known, and is also a bright X-ray source due to colliding winds with a less massive O class companion. Its eclipsing nature and apparent magnitude make it very useful for constraining the properties of luminous hydrogen-rich WR stars. [9]

Contents

System

The WR 22 system contains two massive stars which orbit every 80 days. The spectrum and luminosity are dominated by the primary, which has a spectral type of WN7h, indicating that it is a WR star on the nitrogen sequence, but also with hydrogen lines in its spectrum. The secondary is an O9 star which appears to have the spectral luminosity class of a giant star, but the brightness of a main sequence star. [5]

A blue band light curve for V429 Carinae, showing an eclipse minimum at UT 02:24 on March 8, 1990. Adapted from Gosset et al. (1991) V429CarLightCurve.png
A blue band light curve for V429 Carinae, showing an eclipse minimum at UT 02:24 on March 8, 1990. Adapted from Gosset et al. (1991)

There is a shallow eclipse detectable when the primary passes in front of the secondary, which would be classed as the secondary eclipse. However, no primary eclipse is detected, which is believed to be due to the eccentricity of the system placing the stars further apart when the primary eclipse would occur. [9] The separation of the stars varies from over 500 R to less than 150 R. This strongly constrains the possible inclinations of the system. [11]

Properties

The masses of the two stars can be determined fairly accurately because WR 22 is an eclipsing binary. It is one of the most massive star systems measured in this way rather than by assumptions about stellar evolution. Despite this, the dynamical masses derived from orbital fitting vary from over 70 M to less than 60 M for the primary and about 21 - 27 M for the secondary. [8] The spectroscopic mass of the primary has been calculated at 74 M [14] or 78.1 M. [11]

The temperature of both stars is high, but somewhat poorly defined. The Wolf Rayet primary has a temperature of approximately 44,700 K derived from a model atmosphere fitting of the spectrum, and the secondary is assumed to have a temperature of 33,000 K which is typical for a star of its spectral type. [12]

The brightness of the two stars cannot be measured separately, but the luminosity ratio can be calculated. The total system absolute magnitude, for a distance of 2.7 kpc and extinction of 1.12 magnitudes, is 6.85. [5] The luminosities calculated for a similar distance are two million L and 130,000 L. [11]

Evolution

High mass hydrogen-rich WR stars are young stars still burning hydrogen in their cores, rather than evolved stars fusing heavier elements. They show the WR characteristics of strong helium and nitrogen emission because they are strongly convective all the way to the core and have dredged up fusion products to the surface. About two million years ago, WR22 would have been an even hotter O type main sequence star with a mass of around 120 M. It will soon exhaust the hydrogen in its core and evolve into a classical hydrogen-poor WR star, possibly after a period as a luminous blue variable, [11] then explode as a supernova.[ citation needed ] The secondary star is expected to have a more traditional evolution into a red supergiant in a few million years time.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf–Rayet star</span> Heterogeneous class of stars with unusual spectra

Wolf–Rayet stars, often abbreviated as WR stars, are a rare heterogeneous set of stars with unusual spectra showing prominent broad emission lines of ionised helium and highly ionised nitrogen or carbon. The spectra indicate very high surface enhancement of heavy elements, depletion of hydrogen, and strong stellar winds. The surface temperatures of known Wolf–Rayet stars range from 20,000 K to around 210,000 K, hotter than almost all other kinds of stars. They were previously called W-type stars referring to their spectral classification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 136</span> Star in the constellation of Cygnus

WR 136 is a Wolf–Rayet star located in the constellation Cygnus. It is in the center of the Crescent Nebula. Its age is estimated to be around 4.7 million years and it is nearing the end of its life. Within a few hundred thousand years, it is expected to explode as a supernova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypergiant</span> Rare star with tremendous luminosity and high rates of mass loss by stellar winds

A hypergiant (luminosity class 0 or Ia+) is a very rare type of star that has an extremely high luminosity, mass, size and mass loss because of its extreme stellar winds. The term hypergiant is defined as luminosity class 0 (zero) in the MKK system. However, this is rarely seen in literature or in published spectral classifications, except for specific well-defined groups such as the yellow hypergiants, RSG (red supergiants), or blue B(e) supergiants with emission spectra. More commonly, hypergiants are classed as Ia-0 or Ia+, but red supergiants are rarely assigned these spectral classifications. Astronomers are interested in these stars because they relate to understanding stellar evolution, especially star formation, stability, and their expected demise as supernovae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 102ea</span> Star in the constellation Sagittarius

WR 102ea is a Wolf–Rayet star in the Sagittarius constellation. It is the third most luminous star in the Quintuplet cluster after WR 102hb. With a luminosity of 2,500,000 times solar, it is also one of the most luminous stars known. Despite the high luminosity it can only be observed at infra-red wavelengths due to the dimming effect of intervening dust on visual light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HD 5980</span> Triple star system in the constellation Tucana

HD 5980 is a multiple star system on the outskirts of NGC 346 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and is one of the brightest stars in the SMC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 46</span> Star in the constellation Crux

WR 46 is a Wolf-Rayet star in the constellation of the Southern Cross of apparent magnitude +10.8. It is located at 55 arcmin north of Theta2 Crucis. The star is a member of the distant stellar association Cru OB4, and is around 2,900 parsecs or 9,300 light years from the Solar System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 25</span> Binary star system in the constellation Carina

WR 25 is a binary star system in the turbulent star-forming region the Carina Nebula, about 6,800 light-years from Earth. It contains a Wolf-Rayet star and a hot luminous companion and is a member of the Trumpler 16 cluster. The name comes from the Catalogue of Galactic Wolf–Rayet Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 102c</span>

WR 102c is a Wolf–Rayet star located in the constellation Sagittarius towards the galactic centre. It is only a few parsecs from the Quintuplet Cluster, within the Sickle Nebula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 148</span> Binary star in the constellation of Cygnus

WR 148 is a spectroscopic binary in the constellation Cygnus. The primary star is a Wolf–Rayet star and one of the most luminous stars known. The secondary has been suspected of being a stellar-mass black hole but may be a class O main sequence star.

WR 156 is a young massive and luminous Wolf–Rayet star in the constellation of Cepheus. Although it shows a WR spectrum, it is thought to be a young star still fusing hydrogen in its core.

WR 142 is a Wolf-Rayet star in the constellation Cygnus, an extremely rare star on the WO oxygen sequence. It is a luminous and very hot star, highly evolved and close to exploding as a supernova. It is suspected to be a binary star with a companion orbiting about 1 AU away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melnick 34</span> Binary star in the Large Magellanic cloud

Melnick 34, also called BAT99-116, is a binary Wolf–Rayet star near R136 in the 30 Doradus complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Both components are amongst the most massive and most luminous stars known, and the system is the most massive known binary system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CD Crucis</span> Eclipsing binary star system in the constellation Crux

CD Crucis, also known as HD 311884, is an eclipsing binary star system in the constellation Crux. It is around 14,000 light years away near the faint open cluster Hogg 15. The binary contains a Wolf–Rayet star and is also known as WR 47.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 21a</span> Star in the constellation Carina

WR 21a is an eclipsing binary star in the constellation Carina. It includes one of the most massive known stars and is one of the most massive binaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R145</span> Binary star in the constellation Dorado

R145 is a spectroscopic binary star in the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud located in the constellation Dorado. Both components are amongst the most luminous known.

WR 3 is a Wolf-Rayet star located around 9,500 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Cassiopeia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 12</span> Star in the constellation Vela

WR 12 is a spectroscopic binary in the constellation Vela. It is an eclipsing binary consisting of a Wolf-Rayet star and a luminous companion of unknown spectral type. The primary is one of the most luminous stars known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM 1</span> Open cluster in the constellation Scorpius

HM 1, also known as Havlen-Moffat 1, is an open cluster located in the constellation of Scorpius, close to the galactic plane. It was first observed by R. J. Havlen and A. F. J. Moffat in 1976. HM 1 is thought to be 9,500 to 12,700 light-years away from the Earth, beyond the Carina–Sagittarius Arm. It is heavily reddened by interstellar extinction, so although it comprises mostly blue-colored stars, it appears brighter for longer-wavelength passbands. It is projected against the H II region known as RCW 121, and appears to be the source of ionization for the nearby regions RCW 122 and RCW 123.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WR 120</span> Binary star system in the constellation Scutum

WR 120 is a binary containing two Wolf-Rayet stars in the constellation of Scutum, around 10,000 light years away. The primary is a hydrogen-free weak-lined WN7 star, the secondary is a hydrogen-free WN3 or 4 star, and the system is a possible member of the cluster Dolidze 33. From our point of view, WR 120 is reddened by 4.82 magnitudes, and it has the variable designation of V462 Scuti.

References

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