Eta Centauri

Starbox begin
name=Eta Centauri Starbox observe
epoch=J2000
ra=14^h35^m30.4^s
dec=−42°09′28″
appmag_v=+2.33
constell=Centaurus Starbox character
class=B1.5Vne
b-v=−0.19
u-b=−0.83
variable=Gamma Cas Starbox astrometry
radial_v=0
prop_mo_ra=−35.31
prop_mo_dec=−32.44
parallax=10.57
p_error=0.83
absmag_v=−2.54 Starbox detail
mass=8.5-10.5
radius=5-6
luminosity=6,000
temperature=20,000
metal=?
rotation=333 km/s.
age=< 2 &times; 10⁷ Starbox catalog
names=HR 5440, CD−41°8917, CP−41°6839, HD 127972, SAO 225044, FK5 537, HIP 71352, GC 19656 Starbox reference
Simbad=HD+127972

Eta Centauri (η Cen / η Centauri) is a star in the constellation Centaurus.

This is a rapidly rotating star that completes a full rotation in less than a day. It is also a Be star, which means it has variable emissions in its hydrogen spectral lines. Finally it is also slightly variable, and classified as a Gamma Cassiopeiae variable, with multiple periods of variability. It is approximately 309 light years from Earth. Eta Centauri is sufficiently large that it is on the dividing line between stars that evolve into white dwarfs and those that turn into a supernovae.

References

*cite journal | author=Janot-Pacheco, E. "et al", | year=1999 | title=Multi-periodicity of the Be star η Centauri from spectroscopic and photometric observations | journal=A&AS | volume=137 | pages=407 | url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1999A%26AS..137..407J&amp;db_key=AST&amp;data_type=HTML&amp;format=&amp;high=4463c1e6cb10699 | doi=10.1051/aas:1999256

External links

* [http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/etacen.html Eta Centauri] by Jim Kaler.