V553 Centauri

{{Starbox observe

| epoch = J2000.0

| constell = Centaurus

| ra = {{RA|14|46|33.636}}

| dec = {{DEC|−32|10|15.27}}

| appmag_v = 8.48 ({{val|8.22|to|8.80}})

}}

{{Starbox character

| type =

| class = G5p I–III

| b-v = 0.600{{±|0.020}}

| u-b =

| variable = BL Her

}}

{{Starbox astrometry

| radial_v = −4.95{{±|3.95}}

| prop_mo_ra = 4.145

| prop_mo_dec = −1.914

| pm_footnote =

| parallax = 1.7286

| p_error = 0.0224

| parallax_footnote =

| absmag_v =

}}

{{Starbox detail

| source =

| mass = 0.49

| radius = 9.9

| luminosity =

| gravity = 2.2

| temperature = 6,060

| metal_fe = 0.01

| rotation =

| rotational_velocity =

| age_gyr =

}}

{{Starbox catalog

| names = {{odlist | V=V553 Cen | CD=−31° 11449 | HD=129981 | HIP=72257 | PPM=293050 | SAO=205930 }}

}}

{{Starbox reference

| Simbad = V553+Cen

}}

V553 Centauri is a variable star in the southern constellation of Centaurus, abbreviated V553 Cen. It ranges in brightness from an apparent visual magnitude of 8.22 down to 8.80 with a period of 2.06 days. At that magnitude, it is too dim to be visible to the naked eye. Based on parallax measurements, it is located at a distance of approximately 1,890 light years from the Sun.

Observations

File:V553CenLightCurve.png data]]

The variability of this star was announced in 1936 by C. Hoffmeister. In 1957, he determined it to be a Delta Cepheid variable with a magnitude range of {{val|8.3|to|8.6}} and a periodicity of {{val|2.06119|u=days|fmt=commas}}. The observers M. W. Feast and G. H. Herbig noted a peculiar spectrum with strong absorption lines of the molecules CH and CN, while neutral iron lines are unusually weak. They found a stellar classification of G5p I–III.

In 1972, T. Lloyd-Evans and associates found the star's prominent bands of C₂, CH, and CN varied with the Cepheid phase, being strongest at minimum. They suggested a large overabundance of carbon in the star's atmosphere. Chemical analysis of the atmosphere in 1979 showed a metallicity close to solar, with an enhancement of carbon and nitrogen. It was proposed that V553 Cen is an evolved RR Lyrae variable and is now positioned above the horizontal branch on the HR diagram. V553 Cen is classified as a BL Herculis variable, being a low–mass type II Cepheid with a period between {{val|1|to|6|u=days}}. As with other variables of this type, it displays a secondary bump on its light curve. It is a member of a small group of carbon Cepheids, and is one of the brightest stars of that type.

V553 Cen does not appear to have a companion. From the luminosity and shape of the light curve, stellar models from 1981 suggest a mass equal to 49% of the Sun's with 9.9 times the radius of the Sun. Further analysis of the spectrum showed that oxygen is not enhanced, but sodium may be moderately enhanced. There is no evidence of s-process enhancement of elements. Instead, the abundance peculiarities are the result of nuclear reaction sequences followed by dredge-up. In particular, these are the product of triple-α, CN, ON, and perhaps some Ne–Na reactions.

References

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite simbad

| title=V553 Cen

| access-date=2024-12-31

| postscript=. | mode = cs2 }}

{{citation | postscript=.

| last1=Anderson | first1=E. | last2=Francis | first2=Ch.

| title=XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation

| journal=Astronomy Letters

| volume=38 | issue=5 | pages=331 | year=2012

| bibcode=2012AstL...38..331A | arxiv=1108.4971

| doi=10.1134/S1063773712050015 | s2cid=119257644 }}

{{cite web

| title=MAST: Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes

| url=https://mast.stsci.edu/portal/Mashup/Clients/Mast/Portal.html

| publisher=Space Telescope Science Institute | access-date=5 January 2025}}

{{citation | postscript=.

| title=General Catalogue of Variable Stars

| display-authors=1 | last1=Samus | first1=N. N.

| last2=Kazarovets | first2=E. V. | last3=Durlevich | first3=O. V.

| last4=Kireeva | first4=N. N. | last5=Pastukhova | first5=E. N.

| version=GCVS 5.1 | journal=Astronomy Reports

| year=2017 | volume=61 | issue=1 | pages=80–88

| doi=10.1134/S1063772917010085

| bibcode=2017ARep...61...80S | s2cid=255195566 }}

{{citation | postscript=.

| title=Metal-poor Type II Cepheids with Periods Less Than Three Days

| display-authors=1 | last1=Kovtyukh | first1=V.

| last2=Wallerstein | first2=G. | last3=Yegorova | first3=I.

| last4=Andrievsky | first4=S. | last5=Korotin | first5=S.

| last6=Saviane | first6=I. | last7=Belik | first7=S.

| last8=Davis | first8=C. E. | last9=Farrell | first9=E. M.

| journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

| volume=130 | issue=987 | date=May 2018

| doi=10.1088/1538-3873/aaacf7

| arxiv=1803.05041 | bibcode=2018PASP..130e4201K }}

{{citation | postscript=.

| title=71 südlicheneue Veränderliche

| last=Hoffmeister | first=Cuno

| journal=Astronomische Nachrichten

| volume=258 | page=39 | date=April 1936

| issue=3

| doi=10.1002/asna.19362580303

| bibcode=1936AN....258...39H | language=de }}

{{citation | postscript=.

| title=On Two Abnormal Stars of Delta Cephei Type

| last=Hoffmeister | first=Cuno

| journal=Astrophysical Journal

| volume=125 | page=824 | date=May 1957

| doi=10.1086/146358

| bibcode=1957ApJ...125..824H }}

{{citation | postscript=.

| title=V553 Centauri: a type II cepheid with an overabundance of carbon

| display-authors=1 | last1=Lloyd Evans | first1=T.

| last2=Wisse | first2=P. N. J. | last3=Wisse | first3=M.

| journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

| volume=159 | page=67 | year=1972

| doi=10.1093/mnras/159.1.67 | doi-access=free

| bibcode=1972MNRAS.159...67L }}

{{citation | postscript=.

| title=Carbon and nitrogen abundances in the carbon-rich Cepheid V553 Centauri

| last=Cotrell | first=P. L.

| journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

| volume=189 | pages=13–25 | date=October 1979

| doi=10.1093/mnras/189.1.13 | doi-access=free

| bibcode=1979MNRAS.189...13C }}

{{citation | postscript=.

| title=V553 Centauri and a progression of bumps in BL Herculis light curves

| last=Petersen | first=J. O.

| journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics

| volume=96 | pages=146–150| date=March 1981

| bibcode=1981A&A....96..146P }}

{{citation | postscript=.

| title=V553 Cen and the Carbon Cepheids

| last1=Wallerstein | first1=G. | last2=Gonzalez | first2=G.

| work=A Half Century of Stellar Pulsation Interpretation: A Tribute to Arthur N. Cox; proceedings of a Conference held in Los Alamos, NM 16-20 June 1997

| editor1-first=Paul A. | editor1-last=Bradley

| editor2-first=Joyce A. | editor2-last=Guzik

| series=ASP Conference Series

| volume=135 | page=36 | year=1998

| bibcode=1998ASPC..135...36W }}

{{citation | postscript=.

| title=The carbon Cepheid V553 Cen: evidence of triple-alpha and CNO cycling

| last1=Wallerstein | first1=George | last2=Gonzalez | first2=Guillermo

| journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

| volume=282 | issue=4 | pages=1236–1246 | date=October 1996

| doi=10.1093/mnras/282.4.1236 | doi-access=free

| bibcode=1996MNRAS.282.1236W }}

}}

V553 Centauri

Observations

See also

References

Further reading