48 Librae

48 Librae

A broad-band optical light curve for FX Librae, adapted from Ozuyar et al. (2018)[1]
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Libra[2]
Right ascension 15h 58m 11.36869s[3]
Declination −14° 16′ 45.6894″[3]
Apparent magnitude (V) 4.95[2]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage main sequence[4]
Spectral type B3 Vsh[5][6]
B−V color index −0.08±0.11[2]
Variable type γ Cas[7]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−7.5±1.8[8] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −12.44[3] mas/yr
Dec.: −16.73[3] mas/yr
Parallax (π)6.97±0.24 mas[3]
Distance470 ± 20 ly
(143 ± 5 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−0.83[2]
Details
Mass6.07[6] M
Radius4.12[6] R
Luminosity1,100[6] L
Surface gravity (log g)3.71±0.04[9] cgs
Temperature18,000±180[9] K
Rotation9.6 hours[1]
Rotational velocity (v sin i)400[6] km/s
Age10[10] Myr
Other designations
48 Lib, FX Lib, AAVSO 1552-14, BD−13°4302, FK5 1417, HD 142983, HIP 78207, HR 5941, SAO 159607[11]
Database references
SIMBADdata

48 Librae is a single[6] shell star in the constellation Libra. It is a variable star with the designation FX Lib, ranging in magnitude from 4.74 to 4.96.[7] Based upon an annual parallax shift of 6.97±0.24 mas as seen from Earth's orbit, it is located approximately 470 light years from the Sun. It is a candidate member of the Upper Scorpius group of the Scorpius–Centaurus association, with the former having an age of about 11 million years.[12]

This is a main sequence Be star with a stellar classification of B3 Vsh,[5] although it has been variously classed as B3V, B5IIIp shell He-n, B6p shell, B4III, B3IV:e-shell, and B3 shell by different sources. As is the norm for a shell star, it is spinning very rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of 400 km/s − matching or exceeding 80% of the critical velocity.[6] This is giving the star a pronounced oblate shape with an equatorial bulge that is estimated to be 43% larger than the polar radius.[13] It has six times the mass of the Sun and four times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 1,100[6] times the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 18,000 K.[9]

The surrounding gaseous disk stretches out to at least 15[14] times the star's radius and is nearly aligned with the line of sight from the Earth, having an estimated inclination of 85°±.[6] Some time between 1931 and 1935, the disk became active and has remained so since that time, becoming the subject of multiple studies.[15] The unusual asymmetry in its emission lines have led to it being misclassified as a supergiant of type B8 Ia/Ib by SIMBAD and others. This asymmetry displays quasi-periodic behavior of the type found in about a third of all Be stars, with a period of about 10 to 17 years. This variation may arise from the precession of a one-armed density wave in the disk.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Ozuyar, D.; Caliskan, S.; Stevens, I. R.; Elmasli, A. (November 2018). "Photometric and spectroscopic variability of the Be star 48 Lib: The relation between photometric variations and rotation". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. 35. Bibcode:2018PASA...35...34O. doi:10.1017/pasa.2018.38. S2CID 126232532.
  2. ^ a b c d Anderson, E.; Francis, Ch. (2012). "XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation". Astronomy Letters. 38 (5): 331. arXiv:1108.4971. Bibcode:2012AstL...38..331A. doi:10.1134/S1063773712050015. XHIP record for this object at VizieR.
  3. ^ a b c d e van Leeuwen, F. (2007), "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 474 (2): 653–664, arXiv:0708.1752, Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357, S2CID 18759600.
  4. ^ Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  5. ^ a b Rivinius, Thomas; et al. (2013), "Classical Be stars. Rapidly rotating B stars with viscous Keplerian decretion disks", The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, 21: 69, arXiv:1310.3962, Bibcode:2013A&ARv..21...69R, doi:10.1007/s00159-013-0069-0, S2CID 118652497.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Silaj, J.; et al. (July 2016), "Investigating the Circumstellar Disk of the Be Shell Star 48 Librae", The Astrophysical Journal, 826 (1): 11, arXiv:1608.00943, Bibcode:2016ApJ...826...81S, doi:10.3847/0004-637X/826/1/81, S2CID 119112873, 81.
  7. ^ a b Samus, N. N.; et al. (2017), "General Catalogue of Variable Stars", Astronomy Reports, GCVS 5.1, 61 (1): 80–88, Bibcode:2017ARep...61...80S, doi:10.1134/S1063772917010085, S2CID 125853869.
  8. ^ de Bruijne, J. H. J.; Eilers, A.-C. (October 2012), "Radial velocities for the HIPPARCOS-Gaia Hundred-Thousand-Proper-Motion project", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 546: 14, arXiv:1208.3048, Bibcode:2012A&A...546A..61D, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219219, S2CID 59451347, A61.
  9. ^ a b c Arcos, C.; Kanaan, S.; Chávez, J.; Vanzi, L.; Araya, I.; Curé, M. (2018), "Stellar parameters and H α line profile variability of be stars in the BeSOS survey", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 474 (4): 5287, arXiv:1711.08675, Bibcode:2018MNRAS.474.5287A, doi:10.1093/mnras/stx3075.
  10. ^ Squicciarini, V.; Mazoyer, J.; Lagrange, A. -M.; Chomez, A.; Delorme, P.; Flasseur, O.; Kiefer, F.; Bergeon, S.; Albert, D.; Meunier, N. (2025). "The COBREX archival survey: Improved constraints on the occurrence rate of wide-orbit substellar companions: I. A uniform re-analysis of 400 stars from the GPIES survey". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 693. arXiv:2411.06157. Bibcode:2025A&A...693A..54S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202452310.
  11. ^ "48 Lib". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  12. ^ Jang-Condell, Hannah; et al. (August 2015), "Spitzer IRS Spectra of Debris Disks in the Scorpius–Centaurus OB Association", The Astrophysical Journal, 808 (2): 19, arXiv:1506.05428, Bibcode:2015ApJ...808..167J, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/808/2/167, S2CID 118549483, 167.
  13. ^ van Belle, Gerard T. (March 2012), "Interferometric observations of rapidly rotating stars", The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, 20 (1): 51, arXiv:1204.2572, Bibcode:2012A&ARv..20...51V, doi:10.1007/s00159-012-0051-2, S2CID 119273474.
  14. ^ Štefl, S.; et al. (April 2012), "New activity in the large circumstellar disk of the Be-shell star 48 Librae", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 540: 12, arXiv:1202.4523, Bibcode:2012A&A...540A..76S, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201118054, S2CID 54663995, A76
  15. ^ Faraggiana, R. (June 1969), "A study of 48 Librae in the period 1950 - 1962", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2: 162, Bibcode:1969A&A.....2..162F.