W Mensae
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| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Mensa |
| Right ascension | 05h 26m 24.52s |
| Declination | −71° 11′ 11.8″ |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | F8Iabp |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 13.4 |
| Apparent magnitude (R) | 13.700 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 13.032 |
| Apparent magnitude (H) | 12.831 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 12.296 |
| J−H color index | 0.201 |
| J−K color index | 0.736 |
| Variable type | R Coronae Borealis |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +260 km/s |
| Distance | ~168,000 ly (~51,500 pc) |
| Details | |
| Temperature | 6,300 K |
| Other designations | |
W Mensae, 2MASS J05262451-7111117 | |
W Mensae (W Men) is a variable star in the southern constellation Mensa. The star is classified as a yellow-white supergiant (spectral class F8 Iab).[1]
W Mensae is very distant, being located in the neighboring galaxy Large Magellanic Cloud. Despite its great luminosity, the star has a maximum apparent brightness of +13.8m,[1] too dim to be visible even for a small telescope. It belongs to the very rare R Coronae Borealis class of variables[1] which are often called "inverse novae" since they experience once a while very large drops in brightness. W Mensae is not an exception, since at minimum its brightness is less than +18.3m.[1] The variability of the star was discovered in 1927 by W. J. Luyten.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2004). "Combined General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS4.2)". Retrieved 2007-01-04.
- ↑ Luyten, W. J. (1927). "A New Irregular Variable of the R Coronae Type". Harvard College Observatory Bulletin 846 (846): 31–33. Bibcode:1927BHarO.846...33L. 1927BHarO.846...33L.
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