GJ 440

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GJ 440
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation
(pronunciation)
Musca[1]
Right ascension 11h 45m 42.9205s[2]
Declination −64° 50′ 29.459″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 11.50[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type DQ6[3]
U-B color index -0.59[2]
B-V color index +0.19[2]
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: 2665.25[2] mas/yr
Dec.: -346.19[2] mas/yr
Parallax (π) 216.40 ± 2.11[2] mas
Distance 15.1 ± 0.1 ly
(4.62 ± 0.05 pc)
Details
Mass 0.75 ± 0.03[4] M
Surface gravity (log g) 8.27 ± 0.05[4]
Luminosity 0.0005[4] L
Temperature 8,500 ± 300[4] K
Age (as white dwarf)[4]
1.44·109 years
Other designations
WD 1142-645, GJ 440, LHS 43, LTT 4364, L 145-141, HIP 57367.[2]

GJ 440 (also known by the designation WD 1142-645) is a white dwarf star located 15 light years from the solar system.[5] White dwarfs are no longer generating energy at their cores through nuclear fusion, and instead are steadily radiating away their remaining heat. GJ 440 has a DQ spectral classification, indicating that it is a rare type of white dwarf which displays evidence of atomic or molecular carbon in its spectrum.[6]

GJ 440 has only 75% of the Sun's mass, but it is the remnant of a massive main sequence star that had an estimated 4.4 solar masses.[7] While it was on the main sequence, it probably was a spectral class B star (in the range B4-B9).[8] Most of the star's original mass was shed after it passed into the asymptotic giant branch stage, just prior to becoming a white dwarf.

A survey with the Hubble Space Telescope revealed no visible orbiting companions, at least down to the limit of detection.[3]

GJ 440 may be a member of the Wolf 219 moving group, which has seven possible members. These stars share a similar motion through space, which may indicate a common origin.[9] This group has an estimated space velocity of 160 km/s and is following a highly eccentric orbit through the Milky Way galaxy.[10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Constellation boundaries. Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i SIMBAD query result: GJ 440 -- White Dwarf. Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
  3. ^ a b Daniel J. Schroeder et al. (February 2000). "A Search for Faint Companions to Nearby Stars Using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2". The Astronomical Journal 119 (2): 906–922. doi:10.1086/301227. 
  4. ^ a b c d e Table 2, P. Bergeron, S. K. Leggett, and María Teresa Ruiz (April 2001). "Photometric and Spectroscopic Analysis of Cool White Dwarfs with Trigonometric Parallax Measurements". Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 133 (2): 413–449. doi:10.1086/320356. 
  5. ^ Henry, Todd J.; Walkowicz, Lucianne M.; Barto, Todd C.; Golimowski, David A. (April 2002). "The Solar Neighborhood. VI. New Southern Nearby Stars Identified by Optical Spectroscopy". The Astronomical Journal 123 (4): 2002–2009. doi:10.1086/339315. 
  6. ^ Kawaler, S.; Dahlstrom, M. (2000). "White Dwarf Stars". American Scientist 88 (6): 498. doi:10.1511/2000.6.498. 
  7. ^ Burleigh, M. R.; Clarke, F. J.; Hodgkin, S. T. (April 2002). "Imaging planets around nearby white dwarfs". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 331 (4): L41–L45. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05417.x. 
  8. ^ Siess, Lionel (2000). Computation of Isochrones. Institut d'Astronomie et d'Astrophysique, Université libre de Bruxelles. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
  9. ^ Eggen, O. J.; Greenstein, J. L. (1965). "Spectra, colors, luminosities, and motions of the white dwarfs". Astrophysical Journal 141: 83–108. doi:10.1086/148091.  — see table 5.
  10. ^ Bell, R. A. (1962). "Observations of some southern white dwarfs". The Observatory 82: 68–71. 

[edit] External links