Epsilon Pegasi
 Location of ε Pegasi (circled) | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Right ascension | 21h 44m 11.15614s[1] |
| Declination | +09° 52′ 30.0311″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 2.399[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | K2 Ib[3] |
| U−B color index | +1.722[2] |
| B−V color index | +1.527[2] |
| Variable type | LC[4] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | 3.39 ± 0.06[5] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: +26.92[1] mas/yr Dec.: +0.4[1] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 4.73 ± 0.17[1] mas |
| Distance | 690 ± 20 ly (211 ± 8 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | –4.142[6] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 11.7 ± 0.8[7] M☉ |
| Radius | 185[8] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 3895[9] L☉ |
| Luminosity (bolometric) | 12,250[9] L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 1.01[6] cgs |
| Temperature | 4,379[6] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | –0.04[6] dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 8[10] km/s |
| Age | 20.0 ± 4.5[7] Myr |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Epsilon Pegasi (ε Peg, ε Pegasi) is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Pegasus. It has the traditional name Enif. The name "Enif" is derived from the Arabic word for nose, due to its position as the muzzle of Pegasus. With an apparent visual magnitude of 2.4,[2] this is a second-magnitude star that is readily visible to the naked eye. The distance to this star can be estimated using parallax measurements from the Hipparcos astrometry satellite,[12][13] yielding a value of around 690 light-years (210 parsecs).[1]
In Chinese, 危宿 (Wēi Sù), meaning Rooftop (asterism), refers to an asterism consisting of ε Pegasi, α Aquarii and θ Peg.[14] Consequently, ε Pegasi itself is known as 危宿三 (Wēi Sù sān, English: the Third Star of Rooftop.)[15]
Properties
This is an evolved star that has entered the supergiant stage, as indicated by the stellar classification of K2 Ib.[3] It is estimated to be 12[7] times the Sun's mass. The measured angular diameter of this star, after correction for limb darkening, is 8.17 ± 0.09 mas.[16] At the estimated distance of this star, this yields an enormous physical size of about 185 times the radius of the Sun.[8] From this expanded envelope, it is radiating roughly 12,250[9] times the luminosity of the Sun at an effective temperature of 4,337 K.[6] This temperature is cooler than the Sun, giving it the orange-hued glow of a K-type star.[17]
Enif probably only has a few million years left to go, although it is unknown whether it will explode in a supernova or die off as a rare neon-oxygen white dwarf, due to its mass straddling the dividing line between stars destined to explode or not. Enif has been observed to brighten radically upon a few occasions, giving rise to the theory that it (and possibly other supergiants) erupt in massive flares that dwarf those of our own Sun.[18] It is a type LC slow irregular variable star that varies from +0.7 to +3.5 in magnitude.[4] The spectrum of this star shows an overabundance of the elements strontium and barium, which may be the result of the S-process of nucleosynthesis in the outer atmosphere of the star.[9] It has a relatively high peculiar velocity of 21.6 km s–1.[7]
See also
- Epsilon Pegasi in fiction
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 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
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Cousins, A. W. J., "Standardization of Broadband Photometry of Equatorial Standards", South African Astronomical Observatory Circulars 8: 59, Bibcode:1984SAAOC...8...59C
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Morgan, W. W.; Keenan, P. C. (1973), "Spectral Classification", Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 11 (1): 29, Bibcode:1973ARA&A..11...29M, doi:10.1146/annurev.aa.11.090173.000333
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "eps Peg", General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg), retrieved 2010-01-05
- ↑ Famaey, B. et al. (January 2005), "Local kinematics of K and M giants from CORAVEL/Hipparcos/Tycho-2 data. Revisiting the concept of superclusters", Astronomy and Astrophysics 430 (1): 165–186, arXiv:astro-ph/0409579, Bibcode:2005A&A...430..165F, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20041272
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Soubiran, C. et al. (2008), "Vertical distribution of Galactic disk stars. IV. AMR and AVR from clump giants", Astronomy and Astrophysics 480 (1): 91–101, arXiv:0712.1370, Bibcode:2008A&A...480...91S, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078788
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Tetzlaff, N.; Neuhäuser, R.; Hohle, M. M. (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
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lang, Kenneth R. (2006), Astrophysical formulae, Astronomy and astrophysics library 1 (3 ed.), Birkhäuser, ISBN 3-540-29692-1. The radius (R*) is given by:
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Smith, Verne V.; Lambert, David L. (June 1987), "Are the red supergiants Epsilon Peg and 12 PUP victims of mild s-processing?", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 226: 563–579, Bibcode:1987MNRAS.226..563S
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "V* eps Peg -- Pulsating variable Star", SIMBAD (Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg), retrieved 2010-01-05
- ↑ Perryman, M. A. C.; Lindegren, L.; Kovalevsky, J.; et al. (July 1997), "The Hipparcos Catalogue", Astronomy and Astrophysics 323: L49–L52, Bibcode:1997A&A...323L..49P
- ↑ Perryman, Michael (2010), The Making of History's Greatest Star Map, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-11602-5
- ↑ (Chinese) 中國星座神話, written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, ISBN 978-986-7332-25-7.
- ↑ (Chinese) 香港太空館 - 研究資源 - 亮星中英對照表, Hong Kong Space Museum. Accessed on line November 23, 2010.
- ↑ Richichi; Percheron, I.; Khristoforova, M. (February 2005), "CHARM2: An updated Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements", Astronomy and Astrophysics 431: 773–777, Bibcode:2005A&A...431..773R, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20042039
- ↑ "The Colour of Stars", Australia Telescope, Outreach and Education (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), December 21, 2004, retrieved 2012-01-16
- ↑ Kaler, James B., "ENIF (Epsilon Pegasi)", Stars (University of Illinois), retrieved 2012-02-08
Coordinates: 
21h 44m 11.158s, +09° 52′ 30.04″
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