Lesson plan
H Centauri
H Centauri (H Cen), also known as V945 Centauri, is probable triple star system located in the constellation Centaurus. From parallax measurements, it is located 113 parsecs (370 light years) from the Sun. It is a member of the Lower Centaurus–Crux (LCC) subgroup of the Scorpius–Centaurus association. It is faintly visible to the naked eye under good observing conditions. H Centauri was discovered to be a variable star when the Hipparcos data was analyzed. It was given its variable star designation, V945 Centauri, in 1999. This system is a double-lined spectroscopic binary formed by two B-type main-sequence star with spectral types B7V and B8.5V. They are in a close (but detached) circular orbit with a period of 0.6496 days and a separation of 5.63 solar radii. Observed at an inclination of 24°, the system is an ellipsoidal variable whose apparent visual magnitude varies from 5.14 to 5.18 over the course of an orbit as the star's visible surface area changes. The system's spectrum contains a third set of spectral lines that are probably from a third star, also of type B.
Article summary
H Centauri (H Cen), also known as V945 Centauri, is probable triple star system located in the constellation Centaurus. From parallax measurements, it is located 113 parsecs (370 light years) from the Sun. It is a member of the Lower Centaurus–Crux (LCC) subgroup of the Scorpius–Centaurus association. It is faintly visible to the naked eye under good observing conditions. H Centauri was discovered to be a variable star when the Hipparcos data was analyzed. It was given its variable star designation, V945 Centauri, in 1999. This system is a double-lined spectroscopic binary formed by two B-type main-sequence star with spectral types B7V and B8.5V. They are in a close (but detached) circular orbit with a period of 0.6496 days and a separation of 5.63 solar radii. Observed at an inclination of 24°, the system is an ellipsoidal variable whose apparent visual magnitude varies from 5.14 to 5.18 over the course of an orbit as the star's visible surface area changes. The system's spectrum contains a third set of spectral lines that are probably from a third star, also of type B.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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