Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
Pistol Star
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Right ascension | 17h 46m 15.3s[1] |
| Declination | −28° 50′ 04″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | >28[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | LBV[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 11.828[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (H) | 8.920[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 7.291[1] |
| Variable type | cLBV[3] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +130[2] km/s |
| Distance | 7,700[4] pc |
| Details | |
| Mass | 125[5] M☉ |
| Radius | 420[5][a] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 3.3 million[5][6] L☉ |
| Temperature | 11,800[7]–12,000[5] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.1[8] dex |
| Age | ~4[9] Myr |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
The Pistol Star is an extremely luminous blue hypergiant star, one of the most luminous and massive known stars in the Milky Way. It is one of many massive young stars in the Quintuplet cluster in the Galactic Center region. The star owes its name to the shape of the Pistol Nebula, which it illuminates. It is located approximately 25,000 light-years from Earth in the direction of Sagittarius. The star has a large mass comparable to V4998 Sagittarii and a luminosity 3.3 million times that of the Sun (L☉). It would be visible to the naked eye as a 4th-magnitude star if it were not for the interstellar dust near the Center of the Milky Way that absorbs almost all of its visible light.
- ^ a b c d e Cutri, Roc M.; Skrutskie, Michael F.; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Beichman, Charles A.; Carpenter, John M.; Chester, Thomas; Cambresy, Laurent; Evans, Tracey E.; Fowler, John W.; Gizis, John E.; Howard, Elizabeth V.; Huchra, John P.; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Kopan, Eugene L.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Light, Robert M.; Marsh, Kenneth A.; McCallon, Howard L.; Schneider, Stephen E.; Stiening, Rae; Sykes, Matthew J.; Weinberg, Martin D.; Wheaton, William A.; Wheelock, Sherry L.; Zacarias, N. (2003). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: 2MASS All-Sky Catalog of Point Sources (Cutri+ 2003)". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues. 2246: II/246. Bibcode:2003yCat.2246....0C.
- ^ a b c Figer, Donald F.; Morris, Mark; Geballe, T. R.; Rich, R. Michael; Serabyn, Eugene; McLean, Ian S.; Puetter, R. C.; Yahil, Amos (1999). "High-Resolution Infrared Imaging and Spectroscopy of the Pistol Nebula: Evidence for Ejection". The Astrophysical Journal. 525 (2): 759. arXiv:astro-ph/9906479. Bibcode:1999ApJ...525..759F. doi:10.1086/307927. S2CID 19404691.
- ^ Nazé, Y.; Rauw, G.; Hutsemékers, D. (2012). "The first X-ray survey of Galactic luminous blue variables". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 538: A47. arXiv:1111.6375. Bibcode:2012A&A...538A..47N. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201118040. S2CID 43688343.
- ^ Martayan, C.; Blomme, R.; Le Bouquin, J. -B.; Merand, A.; Montagnier, G.; Selman, F.; Girard, J.; Fox, A.; Baade, D.; Frémat, Y.; Lobel, A.; Martins, F.; Patru, F.; Rivinius, T.; Sana, H.; Stefl, S.; Zorec, J.; Semaan, T. (2011). "X-shooter, NACO, and AMBER observations of the LBV Pistol Star". Bulletin de la Socitété Royale des Sciences de Liège. 80: 400. arXiv:1010.3344. Bibcode:2011BSRSL..80..400M.
- ^ a b c d Lau, R. M.; Herter, T. L.; Morris, M. R.; Adams, J. D. (2014). "Nature Versus Nurture: Luminous Blue Variable Nebulae in and Near Massive Stellar Clusters at the Galactic Center". The Astrophysical Journal. 785 (2): 120. arXiv:1403.5298. Bibcode:2014ApJ...785..120L. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/785/2/120. S2CID 118447462.
- ^ Mauerhan, J. C.; Morris, M. R.; Cotera, A.; Dong, H.; Wang, Q. D.; Stolovy, S. R.; Lang, C.; Glass, I. S. (2010). "Discovery of a Luminous Blue Variable with an Ejection Nebula Near the Quintuplet Cluster". The Astrophysical Journal. 713 (1): L33 – L36. arXiv:1002.3379. Bibcode:2010ApJ...713L..33M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/713/1/L33. S2CID 42696538.
- ^ Najarro, F.; Figer, D. F.; Hillier, D. J.; Geballe, T. R.; Kudritzki, R. P. (2009). "Metallicity in the Galactic Center: The Quintuplet Cluster". The Astrophysical Journal. 691 (2): 1816–1827. arXiv:0809.3185. Bibcode:2009ApJ...691.1816N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/691/2/1816. S2CID 15473563.
- ^ Bono; Matsunaga, N.; Inno, L.; Lagioia, E. P.; Genovali, K. (2013). "Stellar Populations in the Galactic Center". Cosmic Rays in Star-Forming Environments. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings. 34: 115–132. arXiv:1304.6211. Bibcode:2013ASSP...34..115B. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-35410-6_9. ISBN 978-3-642-35409-0. S2CID 118491792.
- ^ Liermann, A.; Hamann, W.-R.; Oskinova, L. M. (2012). "The Quintuplet cluster. III. Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and cluster age". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 540: A14. arXiv:1203.2435. Bibcode:2012A&A...540A..14L. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201117534. S2CID 118741449.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
Previous Page Next Page
