A star chart showing the position of β Boötis (circled) | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Right ascension | 15 01 56.7623 |
| Declination | +40° 23′ 26.0469″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 3.488 |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | Yellow giant |
| Spectral type | G8IIIa |
| U−B color index | +0.75 |
| B−V color index | +0.94 |
| Variable type | Flare star |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | –18.35 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: –40.708 mas/yr Dec.: –30.168 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 13.878 ± 0.131 mas |
| Distance | 235 ± 2 ly (72.1 ± 0.7 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | –0.70 |
| Details | |
| Mass | 3.23±0.07 M☉ |
| Radius | 18.44±0.19 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 188±10 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 2.45±0.03 cgs |
| Temperature | 4,997 K |
| Metallicity | –0.086 dex |
| Rotation | 200±10 days |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 4.1±1.0 km/s |
| Age | 320±20 Myr |
| Other designations | |
| Nakkar, Nekkar, Merez, Meres, Merets, Beta Boo, β Boo, 42 Boötis, BD+40°2840, FK5 555, HD 133208, HIP 73555, HR 5602, SAO 45337 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Beta Boötis, Latinized from β Boötis, and also named Nekkar /ˈnɛkɑːr/, is a star in the northern constellation of Boötes. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 3.5, making it one of the brighter members of the constellation. In the modern constellation, it marks the head of Boötis the herdsman. Based upon parallax measurements obtained by the Gaia spacecraft, this star is approximately 235 light-years (72 parsecs) from the Sun. The magnitude of the star is reduced by 0.06 from extinction caused by intervening gas and dust.
Nomenclature
β Boötis (Latinised to Beta Boötis) is the star's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name Nekkar or Nakkar derived from the Arabic name for the constellation: Al Baḳḳār 'the Herdsman'. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Nekkar for this star on 21 August 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.
Properties
This star had its angular diameter measured using interferometric observations by the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer. The angular diameter, together with the star's distance, yield a radius 18 times the radius of the Sun. Beta Boötis is 3.2 times more massive than the Sun. At the estimated age of 320 million years, it has evolved into a giant star with a stellar classification of G8 IIIa. The star is radiating around 188 times as much luminosity as the Sun from its outer envelope at an effective temperature of 5,000 K. This heat gives it the yellow-hued glow of a G-type star. It has an estimated rotation period of about 200 days and the pole is inclined 28° ± 6° to the line of sight from the Earth.
In 1993, the ROSAT satellite was used to observe an X-ray flare on Beta Boötis, which released an estimated 1.7 × 10 erg. This was the first such observation for a low-activity star of this type. The flare may be explained by an as yet unobserved M-type dwarf companion star.
References
- ^ Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
- ^ Fernie, J. D. (May 1983). "New UBVRI photometry for 900 supergiants". Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 52: 7–22. Bibcode:1983ApJS...52....7F. doi:10.1086/190856.
- ^ "bet Boo -- Flare Star". SIMBAD. Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
- ^ König, B.; et al. (January 2006). "Spectral synthesis analysis and radial velocity study of the northern F-, G- and K-type flare stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 365 (3): 1050–1056. arXiv:astro-ph/0511232. Bibcode:2006MNRAS.365.1050K. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09796.x. S2CID 16676999.
- Massarotti, Alessandro; et al. (January 2008). "Rotational and Radial Velocities for a Sample of 761 HIPPARCOS Giants and the Role of Binarity". The Astronomical Journal. 135 (1): 209–231. Bibcode:2008AJ....135..209M. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/135/1/209.
- ^ Takeda, Yoichi; Sato, Bun'ei; Murata, Daisuke (August 2008). "Stellar parameters and elemental abundances of late-G giants". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 60 (4): 781–802. arXiv:0805.2434. Bibcode:2008PASJ...60..781T. doi:10.1093/pasj/60.4.781. S2CID 16258166.
- ^ Jofré, E.; Petrucci, R.; Saffe, C.; Saker, L.; Artur de la Villarmois, E.; Chavero, C.; Gómez, M.; Mauas, P. J. D. (2015-02-01). "Stellar parameters and chemical abundances of 223 evolved stars with and without planets". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 574: A50. arXiv:1410.6422. Bibcode:2015A&A...574A..50J. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201424474. ISSN 0004-6361. S2CID 53666931. Beta Boötis' database entry at VizieR.
- ^ Baines, Ellyn K.; et al. (2018). "Fundamental Parameters of 87 Stars from the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer". The Astronomical Journal. 155 (1). 30. arXiv:1712.08109. Bibcode:2018AJ....155...30B. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa9d8b. S2CID 119427037..
- ^ Gray, David F.; Kaur, Taranpreet (2019-09-01). "A Recipe for Finding Stellar Radii, Temperatures, Surface Gravities, Metallicities, and Masses Using Spectral Lines". The Astrophysical Journal. 882 (2): 148. Bibcode:2019ApJ...882..148G. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab2fce. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ^ "Naming Stars". IAU.org. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^ Allen, Richard Hinckley (1899). Star-names and their meanings. G. E. Stechert. p. 103. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
- IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN), International Astronomical Union, retrieved 22 May 2016.
- Huensch, M.; Reimers, D. (April 1995). "Detection of an X-ray flare on the low-activity G 8 III-type giant β Boo". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 296: 509–513. Bibcode:1995A&A...296..509H.
