NGC 3603-A1

NGC 3603-A1
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Carina
Right ascension 11h 15m 07.3s
Declination −61° 15′ 39″
Apparent magnitude (V) 11.18
Characteristics
Spectral type WN6h+WN6h[1]
B−V color index 1.14
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: 2.4 mas/yr
Dec.: 2.8 mas/yr
Distance7,600[1] pc
Details
Mass120 + 92[1] M☉
Radius29 + 26[1] R☉
Luminosity2,500,000 + 1,500,000[1] L☉
Temperature42,000 + 40,000[1] K
Other designations
NGC 3603-A1, HD 97950A1, CPD-60 2732A, NGC 3603 MDS 30, WR 43a
NGC 3603-A1a:
NGC 3603-A1b:
Database references
SIMBADdata

NGC 3603-A1 is a massive, double-eclipsing binary star system located in NGC 3603, about 20,000 light years from Earth. Its two component stars circle each other every 3.77 days. The mass of NGC 3603-A1a is 116 ± 31 solar masses and 89 ± 16 solar masses for NGC 3603-A1b.[2] This makes them the two most massive stars directly measured so far, i.e. their masses have been determined (using Keplerian orbits), and not estimated. Both show an emission-line spectrum (spectral type WN6h). A separate study resolved the pair and individually modelled their masses at 120 and 92 M ☉.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Crowther, P. A.; Schnurr, O.; Hirschi, R.; Yusof, N.; Parker, R. J.; Goodwin, S. P.; Kassim, H. A. (2010). "The R136 star cluster hosts several stars whose individual masses greatly exceed the accepted 150 M⊙ stellar mass limit". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 408 (2): 731. arXiv:1007.3284. Bibcode:2010MNRAS.408..731C. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17167.x.
  2. ↑ Schnurr, O.; Casoli, J.; Chené, A. -N.; Moffat, A. F. J.; St-Louis, N. (2008). "The very massive binary NGC 3603-A1". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 389: L38. arXiv:0806.2815. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.389L..38S. doi:10.1111/j.1745-3933.2008.00517.x.

External links