Lesson plan
Lambda Columbae
Lambda Columbae is a probable binary star in the southern constellation of Columba. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from λ Columbae, and abbreviated Lambda Columbae or λ Col. With an apparent visual magnitude of 4.88, it is faintly visible to the naked eye. The measured annual parallax shift of yields an estimated distance of approximately . It is drifting further away from the Sun with a line of sight velocity component of +30 km/s. for Lambda Columbae, plotted from TESS data. The 0.64 day period is marked in red. Lambda Columbae has a stellar classification of B5 V, indicating that it is a B-type main sequence star. It is a suspected rotating ellipsoidal variable with a period of 0.64 days and an amplitude of 0.07 magnitude. Confirmation would indicate that this is a close binary system. This star has an estimated age of around 57 million years with a relatively high rate of spin, showing a projected rotational velocity of 88 km/s. It has 4.3 times the mass of the Sun and 2.7 times the Sun's radius. Lambda Columbae is radiating 343 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 15,057 K. In Chinese, ( ), meaning Son, refers to an asterism consisting of λ Columbae and β Columbae. Consequently, λ Columbae itself is known as ( , ). From this Chinese name, the name Tsze is derived.
Article summary
Lambda Columbae is a probable binary star in the southern constellation of Columba. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from λ Columbae, and abbreviated Lambda Columbae or λ Col. With an apparent visual magnitude of 4.88, it is faintly visible to the naked eye. The measured annual parallax shift of yields an estimated distance of approximately . It is drifting further away from the Sun with a line of sight velocity component of +30 km/s. for Lambda Columbae, plotted from TESS data. The 0.64 day period is marked in red. Lambda Columbae has a stellar classification of B5 V, indicating that it is a B-type main sequence star. It is a suspected rotating ellipsoidal variable with a period of 0.64 days and an amplitude of 0.07 magnitude. Confirmation would indicate that this is a close binary system. This star has an estimated age of around 57 million years with a relatively high rate of spin, showing a projected rotational velocity of 88 km/s. It has 4.3 times the mass of the Sun and 2.7 times the Sun's radius. Lambda Columbae is radiating 343 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 15,057 K. In Chinese, ( ), meaning Son, refers to an asterism consisting of λ Columbae and β Columbae. Consequently, λ Columbae itself is known as ( , ). From this Chinese name, the name Tsze is derived.
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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?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.