MY Camelopardalis

"MY Cam" redirects here. For the iOS app, see My Cam.
MY Camelopardalis
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0 [1]      Equinox J2000.0 [1]
Constellation Camelopardalis
Right ascension 03h 59m 18.2863s [1]
Declination +57° 14′ 13.673″ [1]
Astrometry
Distance13,000 [2] ly
(4,000 [2] pc)
Other designations
MY Camelopardalis, MY Cam,[1] Alicante 1 NM 693,[1] Alicante 1-693, 2MASS J03591829+5714137 [1]

MY Camelopardalis (MY Cam) is a binary star system located in the Alicante 1 open cluster, some 13 kly (4.0 kpc) away in the constellation Camelopardalis. It is one of the most massive known binary star systems.[2] MY Cam is the brightest star in Alicante 1.[3]

The system consists of two hot blue O-type stars with one component having a mass of 32 solar masses and the other 38 solar masses.[4] MY Cam is a contact binary and eclipsing binary, with an orbital period of 1.2 days, and an orbital velocity of 1,000,000 km/h (620,000 mph).[2] They were likely formed 2 million years ago.[5][6]

The system is anticipated to merge to form a single massive star of about 60 solar masses. This is expected to be the way that most extremely massive single stars are formed.[2]

When originally discovered, the system was considered to be a single variable star and not a binary system.[2] Its binary nature was only discerned in 2004.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Andrew Fazekas (9 December 2014). "Astronomers Spy Monster Star Merger on the Move".
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Asociación RUVID (5 December 2014). "Astronomers observe two stars so close to each other that they will end up merging into a supermassive star". ScienceDaily.
  4. ↑ "Astronomers observe two stars so close to each other that they will end up merging into a supermassive star". Phys.org. 6 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Two huge stars are colliding in space — and might soon join in a huge explosion that will shed light on the beginning of the universe". The Independent. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Lorenzo, J.; Negueruela, I.; Val Baker, A. K. F.; García, M.; Simón-Díaz, S.; Pastor, P.; Méndez Majuelos, M. (2014). "MY Camelopardalis, a very massive merger progenitor". Astronomy & Astrophysics 572: A110. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201424345.