Merope (star)
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| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation (pronunciation) |
Taurus |
| Right ascension | 03h 46m 19.6s |
| Declination | +23° 56' 54" |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +4.14 |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | −1.07 |
| Distance | 440 ly (135 pc) |
| Spectral type | B6IVe |
| Other designations | |
Merope is a star in the constellation Taurus and a member of the Pleiades star cluster. It is approximately 440 light years from Earth.
Merope is a blue-white B-type subgiant with a mean apparent magnitude of +4.14. Richard Hinckley Allen described the star as lucid white and violet.[1] It has a luminosity of 630 times that of the Sun and a surface temperature of 14,000 kelvin. Merope's mass is roughly 4.5 solar masses and has a radius more than 4 times as great as the Sun's. It is classified as a Beta Cephei type variable star and its brightness varies by 0.01 magnitudes.
Surrounding Merope is the Merope Nebula. Part of the nebula that the Pleiades Cluster is currently passing through, it appears brightest around Merope and is listed in the Index Catalogue as number IC 349.
[edit] References
- ^ Merope, Star Names and their Meanings, Richard Hinckley Allen, Dover Publications, 1963, pg. 407.
[edit] External links
- NGC 1435 - Merope Nebula LRGB image with 4 hrs total exposure. *http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/merope.html
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