Lesson plan
Lambda Arae
Lambda Arae is a star in the southern constellation of Ara. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from λ Arae, and abbreviated Lambda Ara or λ Ara. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is 4.77, making it bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Based on parallax measurements, it is located at a distance of from Earth. This star is drifting further away from the Sun with a radial velocity of +3 km/s. The spectrum of this star matches a stellar classification of F4 V, which places it among the category of F-type main sequence stars. It is an estimated 2.4 billion years old, and is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 15.5 km/s. This star has 40% more mass than the Sun and a 70% greater radius. It shines with 4.7 times the luminosity of the Sun. The outer atmosphere is radiating this energy at an effective temperature of 6,495 K, giving it the yellow-white hue of an F-type star. There is some evidence that this may be a binary star system consisting of two stars with identical masses. Examination of Lambda Arae with the Spitzer Space Telescope shows an excess of infrared emission at a wavelength of 70 μm. This suggests it may be orbited by a disk of dust at a radius of more than 15 astronomical units.
Article summary
Lambda Arae is a star in the southern constellation of Ara. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from λ Arae, and abbreviated Lambda Ara or λ Ara. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is 4.77, making it bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Based on parallax measurements, it is located at a distance of from Earth. This star is drifting further away from the Sun with a radial velocity of +3 km/s. The spectrum of this star matches a stellar classification of F4 V, which places it among the category of F-type main sequence stars. It is an estimated 2.4 billion years old, and is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 15.5 km/s. This star has 40% more mass than the Sun and a 70% greater radius. It shines with 4.7 times the luminosity of the Sun. The outer atmosphere is radiating this energy at an effective temperature of 6,495 K, giving it the yellow-white hue of an F-type star. There is some evidence that this may be a binary star system consisting of two stars with identical masses. Examination of Lambda Arae with the Spitzer Space Telescope shows an excess of infrared emission at a wavelength of 70 μm. This suggests it may be orbited by a disk of dust at a radius of more than 15 astronomical units.
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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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