Cygnus OB2-12
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| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cygnus |
| Right ascension | 20h 32m 40.9589s[1] |
| Declination | 41° 14′ 29.286″[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | B3-B4Iae[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 14.41[3] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.40[3] |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 4.667±0.324[4] |
| Apparent magnitude (H) | 3.512±0.260[4] |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 2.704±0.364[4] |
| U−B color index | 1.69[3] |
| B−V color index | 3.01[3] |
| Variable type | cLBV |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | -11.00[5] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: 2.62[1] mas/yr Dec.: −2.94[1] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 0.40 ± 2.30[1] mas |
| Distance | 1,600[6] pc |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | −9.85[6] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 110[7] M☉ |
| Radius | 246[7] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 1,900,000[7][8] L☉ |
| Temperature | 13,700[7] K |
| Age | 3.0x106[7] years |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Cygnus OB2 #12 is an extremely bright blue hypergiant with an absolute bolometric magnitude (all electromagnetic radiation) of −10.9, among the most luminous stars known in the galaxy. This makes the star nearly two million times more luminous than the Sun, although less than half the estimates when the star was first discovered. It is now known to be a binary, with the companion approximately a tenth as bright. A very approximate initial estimate of the orbit gives the total system mass as 120 M☉ and the period as 30 years.[2]
It is a member of the Cyg OB2 Association, a cluster of young massive stars about 5,000 light years away in Cygnus, and resides in a region of the Milky Way from which visible light is heavily absorbed by interstellar dust when viewed from Earth. The dust causes the star to be strongly reddened despite being an intrinsically hot and blue star, hence it has been extensively studied in the infra-red. Were it not for the dust extinction, the star would have a visual magnitude about 1.5, nearly as bright as Deneb (Alpha Cygni), but because of the dust the observed visual magnitude is 11.4 so that it requires binoculars or a small telescope to be seen.[2]
Cygnus OB2 #12 is a candidate luminous blue variable (LBV). Its position in the HR diagram, luminosity, and spectrum all classify it as an LBV, but it has not been observed to vary in brightness. The spectral type has varied slightly since its discovery, but not to the extent that would be normal for an LBV.[7]
References
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- Online Astronomy: The Brightest Stars
- Tim Thompson: OB2-12
- http://jumk.de/astronomie/big-stars/cygnus-ob2-12.shtml
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