TZ Cassiopeiae
Star in the constellation Cassiopeia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TZ Cassiopeiae (TZ Cas, HIP 117763, SAO 20912) is a variable star in the constellation Cassiopeia with an apparent magnitude of around +9 to +10. It is approximately 8,400 light-years away from Earth. The star is a red supergiant star with a spectral type of M3 and a temperature around 3,600 K.
Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Cassiopeia |
Right ascension | 23h 52m 56.23689s[1] |
Declination | 61° 00′ 08.3915″[1] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.18[2] (+8.86 - +10.5[3]) |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | M3 Iab[4] |
U−B color index | +2.43[2] |
B−V color index | +2.57[2] |
Variable type | Lc[3] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | −54.28[5] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: −3.865[1] mas/yr Dec.: −2.145[1] mas/yr |
Parallax (π) | 0.3888 ± 0.0300 mas[1] |
Distance | 8,400 ± 600 ly (2,600 ± 200 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | −5.98[6] |
Details | |
Mass | 4.9[7] M☉ |
Radius | 767[8] R☉ |
Luminosity | 97,275[9] L☉ |
Surface gravity (log g) | −0.15[7] cgs |
Temperature | 3,597[9] K |
Metallicity [Fe/H] | +0.15[7] dex |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
TZ Cassiopeiae was reported as being variable by Williamina Fleming and published posthumously in 1911.[11] It is a slow irregular variable star with a possible period of 3,100 days.[12] It is over 90,000 times the luminosity of the Sun, and it is 767 times larger than the Sun. It is a member of the Cas OB5 stellar association, together with the nearby red supergiant PZ Cassiopeiae.[13]
The initial mass of TZ Cassiopeiae has been estimated from its position relative to theoretical stellar evolutionary tracks to be around 15 M☉.[14]
TZ Cas is losing mass through a powerful stellar wind at two millionths of a solar mass each year.[15] It is unclear whether this is sufficient to cause the star to lose its atmosphere and become a blue supergiant before the core exhausts its fuel and collapses as a supernova. Either as a red or blue supergiant, or a Wolf–Rayet star, it will inevitably end its life violently in a supernova explosion when the core collapse occurs.[16]