| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Right ascension | 11h 37m 37.0406s |
| Declination | −46° 42′ 34.882″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 8.02 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | B5p |
| U−B color index | +0.20[2] |
| B−V color index | +0.76[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | 10.2 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −47.30 mas/yr Dec.: 33.93 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 7.95 ± 1.07[3] mas |
| Distance | approx. 410 ly (approx. 130 pc) |
| Details | |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 4.2[4] |
| Temperature | 6,600[4] K |
| Other designations | |
Przybylski's Star ( /ʃɨˈbɪlskiz stɑr/), or HD 101065, is a peculiar star that is located about 410 light years from the Sun in the constellation Centaurus.
In 1961, the Polish-Australian astronomer Antoni Przybylski (Polish pronunciation [ˈantɔɲi pʂɨˈbɨlski]) discovered that this star had a peculiar spectrum that would not fit into the standard framework for stellar classification.[5] Przybylski's observations indicated unusually low amounts of iron and nickel in the star's spectrum, but higher amounts of unusual elements like strontium, niobium, scandium, yttrium, caesium, neodymium, praseodymium, thorium, ytterbium, and uranium. In fact, at first Przybylski doubted that iron was present in the spectrum at all. Modern work shows that the iron-group elements are somewhat below normal in abundance, but it's clear that the lanthanoids and other exotic elements are highly overabundant. As a result of these peculiar abundances this star belongs firmly in the Ap star class.
According to the Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight, Przybylski's Star is…
"One of the most chemically peculiar stars known; it is named informally after its discoverer, the Polish-Australian astronomer, Antoni Przybylski.… Apart from the usual lines of hydrogen and the calcium H and K, the strongest lines in HD 101065 are due to singly ionized lanthanides, presenting a spectrum similar to that of an S star, a highly evolved object whose atmosphere is enriched with recently synthesized material from deep within its interior. Yet, in other respects, HD 101065 appears to be a main sequence star or subgiant. One possibility is that it is a cool, extreme Ap star, a theory supported by the discovery of a several kilogauss magnetic field in HD 101065 similar to that of many other Ap stars. The outstanding difficulty with HD 101065 as an Ap star was that its spectrum didn't look like the others. Lines of neutral and first ionized iron are prominent in the spectra of Ap stars, and in some cases, the iron is clearly overabundant." (1)
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HD 101065 is the prototype star of the roAp star class. It was discovered to pulsate photometrically in 1978[6] with a period of 12.15 min.