Lesson plan
Upsilon1 Centauri
Upsilon 1 Centauri is a single star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from υ 1 Centauri, and abbreviated Upsilon 1 Cen or υ 1 Cen. This star has a blue-white hue and is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +3.87. The distance to this object is approximately 427 light years based on parallax, and is receding with a radial velocity of +9 km/s. It is a member of the Lower Centaurus Crux group of the Scorpius–Centaurus association. The stellar classification of this object is B2 IV/V, matching a massive B-type star with a luminosity class displaying mixed traits of a main sequence and a subgiant star. It is 13 million years old and is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 124 km/s. The star has 7.9 times the mass of the Sun and 3.7 times the Sun's radius. It is radiating 1,884 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 21,411 K.
Article summary
Upsilon 1 Centauri is a single star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from υ 1 Centauri, and abbreviated Upsilon 1 Cen or υ 1 Cen. This star has a blue-white hue and is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +3.87. The distance to this object is approximately 427 light years based on parallax, and is receding with a radial velocity of +9 km/s. It is a member of the Lower Centaurus Crux group of the Scorpius–Centaurus association. The stellar classification of this object is B2 IV/V, matching a massive B-type star with a luminosity class displaying mixed traits of a main sequence and a subgiant star. It is 13 million years old and is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 124 km/s. The star has 7.9 times the mass of the Sun and 3.7 times the Sun's radius. It is radiating 1,884 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 21,411 K.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
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- 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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