Lesson plan
Lambda Crateris
Lambda Crateris is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Crater. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from λ Crateris, and abbreviated Lambda Crt or λ Crt. With an annual parallax shift of 22.04 milliarcseconds as observed from Earth, it is located at a distance of 148 light years. It is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.08. This is a probable astrometric binary star system, with orbital elements first reported by Abt and Levy (1976). However, Morbey and Griffin (1987) later cast some doubt on the validity of these results, suggesting that further review is needed. An updated orbital solution was presented in 2023, giving an orbital period of , a semi-major axis of , an eccentricity of 0.323 and an inclination of 125°. The primary member of this system, component A, is an evolved F-type giant star with a stellar classification of F5 III. It has an estimated 1.78 times the mass of the Sun and 2.8 times the Sun's radius. The star is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 17 km/s. The secondary component is a white dwarf of 0.57 times the mass of the Sun. When it was passing by the asymptotic giant branch, mass loss caused s-process elements, produced by nucleosynthesis, to be transferred to the primary. One of those elements is barium, which makes the primary component a barium star.
Article summary
Lambda Crateris is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Crater. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from λ Crateris, and abbreviated Lambda Crt or λ Crt. With an annual parallax shift of 22.04 milliarcseconds as observed from Earth, it is located at a distance of 148 light years. It is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.08. This is a probable astrometric binary star system, with orbital elements first reported by Abt and Levy (1976). However, Morbey and Griffin (1987) later cast some doubt on the validity of these results, suggesting that further review is needed. An updated orbital solution was presented in 2023, giving an orbital period of , a semi-major axis of , an eccentricity of 0.323 and an inclination of 125°. The primary member of this system, component A, is an evolved F-type giant star with a stellar classification of F5 III. It has an estimated 1.78 times the mass of the Sun and 2.8 times the Sun's radius. The star is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 17 km/s. The secondary component is a white dwarf of 0.57 times the mass of the Sun. When it was passing by the asymptotic giant branch, mass loss caused s-process elements, produced by nucleosynthesis, to be transferred to the primary. One of those elements is barium, which makes the primary component a barium star.
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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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