HD 56925

HD 56925
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Canis Major
Right ascension 07h 18m 29.1316s
Declination −13° 13 01.507
Apparent magnitude (V) 11.4
Characteristics
Spectral type WN4-s[1]
U−B color index -0.47
B−V color index 0.28
Variable type None
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: -3.74 mas/yr
Dec.: 3.52 mas/yr
Parallax (π)-0.66 ± 2.55 mas
Distance3662 ly
(1124 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)-3.84[1]
Details
Mass16[1] M
Radius1.41[1] R
Luminosity280,000[1] L
Temperature112,000[1] K
Age20 million years
Other designations
WR 7, HIP 35378.
Database references
SIMBADdata

WR 7 or HD 56925/HIP 35 378 is a Wolf-Rayet star at the centre of the nebula NGC 2359 (also known as the Thor's Helmet Nebula) in the constellation of Canis Major.

The distance is uncertain, with estimates between 3.5 kiloparsecs (11,410 lightyears) and 6.9 kiloparsecs (22,500 light years). Assuming a distance of 4.8 kiloparsecs (15,600 light-years), this star is calculated to be 280.000 times brighter than our Sun, 16 times more massive, and 1.41 times larger with a surface temperature of 112,000 Kelvin.

Stars of its kind are characterised by a rapid loss of stellar mass, driven by chemically enriched high-speed stellar winds. It is estimated that it loses mass at the rate of 7x10−5 solar masses each year through winds of 1,545 km/s.[2]

The ring nebula NGC 2359 is excited by the ionising radiation of WR7. The ring is approximately 4pc across and prominent at wavelengths from radio to x-ray.[2][3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Hamann, W. -R.; Gräfener, G.; Liermann, A. (2006). "The Galactic WN stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics 457 (3): 1015. arXiv:astro-ph/0608078. Bibcode:2006A&A...457.1015H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20065052.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Cappa, C. E.; Goss, W. M.; Niemela, V. S.; Ostrov, P. G. (1999). "A Study of Neutral and Ionized Gas of the Wolf-Rayet Ring Nebula NGC 2359". The Astronomical Journal 118 (2): 948. doi:10.1086/300995.
  3. Zhekov, S. A. (2014). "X-rays from wind-blown bubbles: An XMM-Newton detection of NGC 2359". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 443: 12. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu1138.