binary star Comparison Table

Astronomy View all facts Glossary Help

physical object > natural object > celestial body > collection of stars > star system > binary star

Next star: bright giant Up: star, star system Previous star: Beta Pictoris

binary star comparison table

Subject has right ascension has companion has declination has spectral type is part of has surface temperature has orbital period is an instance of has optical brightness variation has V magnitude has eccentricity has observational problem has author has color has been observ has symbol has B-V magnitude has distance has absorption line has acronym has prototype M6e-M9e III has abundance has recovery time has primary is usually part of has period has proper motion has discoverer has outburst start time has radial velocity has absolute magnitude has wavelength is a kind of has peak brightness has apparent magnitude has mass has image has name designated with has observable variation time scale has emission line has use has synonym has definition has discovery date has luminosity class has angular separation

17 Leporis M1 III B star, A star, F star Lepus greater than 1000 Kelvin binary star half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems A0 V greater than 0.08 the sun's mass A close binary system (A0 V, M1 III) with a shell-like spectrum indicating that mass transfer may be occurring from the late-type companion onto the A0 primary.

alpha Centauri 14 39 36.2 -60 50 07 G2V Milky Way 5000 to 6000 K naked eye star -0.01 yellowish for many centuries d 0.71 4.35 light-years half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems asterism 80 years 3'.68 per year brighter than 5 greater than 0.08 the sun's mass HR 5459 A binary star whose components have G2 V and K5 V spectral types. The nearest star system to the Sun and the third brightest star in the night sky. V

astrometric binary greater than 1000 Kelvin half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems binary star greater than 0.08 the sun's mass

Barnard's star M5 V Ophiuchus greater than 1000 Kelvin 25 years binary star d 1.83 pc 70 percent of all stars 10.25 arcseconds per year Edward Emerson Barnard 100 km/sec greater than 0.08 the sun's mass main sequence star A faint binary star with the second largest proper motion known. Long-term observations of its light curve suggest a possible third component with a mass about 1.2 that of Jupiter, although this observation has been challenged. 1916 V

close binary greater than 1000 Kelvin half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems binary star greater than 0.08 the sun's mass

Cygnus X-3 celestial sphere greater than 1000 Kelvin 4.8 hour binary star 10 kpc half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems X-ray greater than 0.08 the sun's mass 2U 2030+40 An X-ray binary. It is also an infrared source, a cosmic ray source, and a strongly variable radio source (interstellar extinction is too high for visible light observations). It is best fitted by a model of an expanding cloud of relativistic electrons emitting synchrotron radiation around a neutron star. 1966

detached binary greater than 1000 Kelvin half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems binary star greater than 0.08 the sun's mass Binary star which is not in contact and in which no significant mass exchange is occurring.

Kruger 60 AB cooler than G2 greater than 1000 Kelvin P = 44.5 years binary star d 3.93 pc half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems 12 greater than 0.08 the sun's mass main sequence star A faint dM binary in the Solar neighborhood. It may be a subluminous star. V

Luyten 726-8 greater than 1000 Kelvin binary star 2.7 pc half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems greater than 0.08 the sun's mass A binary (M5.5e V, M6e V) (component B is UV Cet) with a very small mass (total mass of system (1974) 0.3 M_sun ).

Mira M star, R star, or N star disk greater than 1000 Kelvin naked eye star 0.2 magnitudes or greater some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds for many centuries 70 pc Mira -has source: Hopkins, J. 1976 Glossary of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago Press half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems asterism 331 days David Fabricius brighter than 5 greater than 0.08 the sun's mass
R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name
RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted
AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted
V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted
within a period of decades omicron Cet A irregular long-period intrinsic variable. It was named Mira ("wonderful") in 1596 by Fabricius, who made the first recorded observations of its brightness fluctuations. Mira is a double star with a faint B companion which is itself variable. 1596 III

Polaris 2 31 50.5 +89 15 51 F7:Ib-IIv disk 6000 to 7500 K binary star 0.2 magnitudes or greater 2.02 some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds Baade (1944) yellow-white for many centuries 0.60 330 light-years delta Cephei half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems F8 Ib asterism 3.97 days <M_v> = -0.5 to -6 brighter than 5 greater than 0.08 the sun's mass
R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name
RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted
AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted
V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted
within a period of decades The star that lies near the direction in the sky toward which the North Pole of the Earth points. alpha UMi A supergiant F8 Ib, F3 V visual binary, with an orbital period of thousands of years. The primary (a Cepheid with a pulsation period of 3.97 days) is itself a single-lined spectroscopic double with a period of 29.6 years. There are at least two more faint (12th mag) components of the system. I

RS CVn star greater than 1000 Kelvin half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems binary star greater than 0.08 the sun's mass Close binary, which show the HK lines in emission.

Sirius 6 45 8.9 -16 42 58 A1Vm Milky Way 10000 K 49.9 years binary star -1.46 white for many centuries d 0.00 8.6 light-years H I half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems asterism brighter than 5 greater than 0.08 the sun's mass HR 2491 The brightest star in the sky. Its companion (Sirius B) is a white dwarf of about 0.96 M_sun but only about 0.03 R_sun, the nearest white dwarf to Earth. V

SMC X-1 Small Magellanic Cloud greater than 1000 Kelvin 3.89-day binary star half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems greater than 0.08 the sun's mass 2U 0115-73 An X-ray source in the Small Magellanic Cloud. It is a binary system. Identified with Sanduleak No. 160, a B0 I supergiant (m_v = + 13.6). Because no radial-velocity variations are apparent in Sk 160, the mass of the X-ray emitter must be small relative to Sk 160 (about 2 M_sun if Sk 160 is 20 M_sun), unlike the compact member of CygX-1.

spectroscopic binary greater than 1000 Kelvin half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems binary star greater than 0.08 the sun's mass Star whose binary nature can be detected from the periodic Doppler shifts of their spectra, owing to their varying velocities in the line of sight. Double-lined spectroscopic binaries have two sets of spectral features, oscillating with opposite phases. Single-lined spectroscopic binaries have only one set of oscillating spectral lines, owing to the dimness of the secondary component. Spectroscopic binaries are typically of spectral type B, with almost circular orbits (whereas long-period M-type binaries have highly eccentric orbits).

UV Ceti M6e V Cetus greater than 1000 Kelvin 26.5 years binary star 0.2 magnitudes or greater e = 0.615 some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds d 2.8 pc CV UV Ceti half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems M_v = 15.3 and 15.8 0.15 M_sun
R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name
RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted
AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted
V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted
within a period of decades hydrogen Luyten 726-8 B Late-type dwarf with spectra showing hydrogen emission lines. Faint flare star of very low mass. Like other flare stars, it is a member of a binary system in which both components are of nearly equal brightness. Radio flares have also been observed. V 1".0

visual binary greater than 1000 Kelvin half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems binary star greater than 0.08 the sun's mass A binary star which can be resolved into two components with current telescopes.

zeta Aurigae star greater than 1000 Kelvin half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems binary star greater than 0.08 the sun's mass Binary star with a K supergiant primary and a main-sequence secondary.

Next star: bright giant Up: star, star system Previous star: Beta Pictoris

Subject	has right ascension	has companion	has declination	has spectral type	is part of	has surface temperature	has orbital period	is an instance of	has optical brightness variation	has V magnitude	has eccentricity	has observational problem	has author	has color	has been observ	has symbol	has B-V magnitude	has distance	has absorption line	has acronym	has prototype	M6e-M9e III	has abundance	has recovery time	has primary	is usually part of	has period	has proper motion	has discoverer	has outburst start time	has radial velocity	has absolute magnitude	has wavelength	is a kind of	has peak brightness	has apparent magnitude	has mass	has image	has name designated with	has observable variation time scale	has emission line	has use	has synonym	has definition	has discovery date	has luminosity class	has angular separation
17 Leporis		M1 III		B star, A star, F star	Lepus	greater than 1000 Kelvin		binary star															half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems		A0 V												greater than 0.08 the sun's mass							A close binary system (A0 V, M1 III) with a shell-like spectrum indicating that mass transfer may be occurring from the late-type companion onto the A0 primary.
alpha Centauri	14 39 36.2		-60 50 07	G2V	Milky Way	5000 to 6000 K		naked eye star		-0.01				yellowish	for many centuries	d	0.71	4.35 light-years					half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems			asterism	80 years	3'.68 per year								brighter than 5	greater than 0.08 the sun's mass						HR 5459	A binary star whose components have G2 V and K5 V spectral types. The nearest star system to the Sun and the third brightest star in the night sky.		V
astrometric binary						greater than 1000 Kelvin																	half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems											binary star			greater than 0.08 the sun's mass
Barnard's star				M5 V	Ophiuchus	greater than 1000 Kelvin	25 years	binary star								d		1.83 pc					70 percent of all stars					10.25 arcseconds per year	Edward Emerson Barnard		100 km/sec						greater than 0.08 the sun's mass						main sequence star	A faint binary star with the second largest proper motion known. Long-term observations of its light curve suggest a possible third component with a mass about 1.2 that of Jupiter, although this observation has been challenged.	1916	V
close binary						greater than 1000 Kelvin																	half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems											binary star			greater than 0.08 the sun's mass
Cygnus X-3					celestial sphere	greater than 1000 Kelvin	4.8 hour	binary star										10 kpc					half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems										X-ray				greater than 0.08 the sun's mass						2U 2030+40	An X-ray binary. It is also an infrared source, a cosmic ray source, and a strongly variable radio source (interstellar extinction is too high for visible light observations). It is best fitted by a model of an expanding cloud of relativistic electrons emitting synchrotron radiation around a neutron star.	1966
detached binary						greater than 1000 Kelvin																	half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems											binary star			greater than 0.08 the sun's mass							Binary star which is not in contact and in which no significant mass exchange is occurring.
Kruger 60 AB				cooler than G2		greater than 1000 Kelvin	P = 44.5 years	binary star								d		3.93 pc					half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems													12	greater than 0.08 the sun's mass						main sequence star	A faint dM binary in the Solar neighborhood. It may be a subluminous star.		V
Luyten 726-8						greater than 1000 Kelvin		binary star										2.7 pc					half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems														greater than 0.08 the sun's mass							A binary (M5.5e V, M6e V) (component B is UV Cet) with a very small mass (total mass of system (1974) 0.3 M_sun ).
Mira				M star, R star, or N star	disk	greater than 1000 Kelvin		naked eye star	0.2 magnitudes or greater			some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds			for many centuries			70 pc			Mira	-has source: Hopkins, J. 1976 Glossary of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago Press	half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems			asterism	331 days		David Fabricius							brighter than 5	greater than 0.08 the sun's mass		R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted	within a period of decades			omicron Cet	A irregular long-period intrinsic variable. It was named Mira ("wonderful") in 1596 by Fabricius, who made the first recorded observations of its brightness fluctuations. Mira is a double star with a faint B companion which is itself variable.	1596	III
Polaris	2 31 50.5		+89 15 51	F7:Ib-IIv	disk	6000 to 7500 K		binary star	0.2 magnitudes or greater	2.02		some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds	Baade (1944)	yellow-white	for many centuries		0.60	330 light-years			delta Cephei		half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems		F8 Ib	asterism	3.97 days					<M_v> = -0.5 to -6				brighter than 5	greater than 0.08 the sun's mass		R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted	within a period of decades		The star that lies near the direction in the sky toward which the North Pole of the Earth points.	alpha UMi	A supergiant F8 Ib, F3 V visual binary, with an orbital period of thousands of years. The primary (a Cepheid with a pulsation period of 3.97 days) is itself a single-lined spectroscopic double with a period of 29.6 years. There are at least two more faint (12th mag) components of the system.		I
RS CVn star						greater than 1000 Kelvin																	half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems											binary star			greater than 0.08 the sun's mass							Close binary, which show the HK lines in emission.
Sirius	6 45 8.9		-16 42 58	A1Vm	Milky Way	10000 K	49.9 years	binary star		-1.46				white	for many centuries	d	0.00	8.6 light-years	H I				half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems			asterism										brighter than 5	greater than 0.08 the sun's mass						HR 2491	The brightest star in the sky. Its companion (Sirius B) is a white dwarf of about 0.96 M_sun but only about 0.03 R_sun, the nearest white dwarf to Earth.		V
SMC X-1					Small Magellanic Cloud	greater than 1000 Kelvin	3.89-day	binary star															half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems														greater than 0.08 the sun's mass						2U 0115-73	An X-ray source in the Small Magellanic Cloud. It is a binary system. Identified with Sanduleak No. 160, a B0 I supergiant (m_v = + 13.6). Because no radial-velocity variations are apparent in Sk 160, the mass of the X-ray emitter must be small relative to Sk 160 (about 2 M_sun if Sk 160 is 20 M_sun), unlike the compact member of CygX-1.
spectroscopic binary						greater than 1000 Kelvin																	half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems											binary star			greater than 0.08 the sun's mass							Star whose binary nature can be detected from the periodic Doppler shifts of their spectra, owing to their varying velocities in the line of sight. Double-lined spectroscopic binaries have two sets of spectral features, oscillating with opposite phases. Single-lined spectroscopic binaries have only one set of oscillating spectral lines, owing to the dimness of the secondary component. Spectroscopic binaries are typically of spectral type B, with almost circular orbits (whereas long-period M-type binaries have highly eccentric orbits).
UV Ceti				M6e V	Cetus	greater than 1000 Kelvin	26.5 years	binary star	0.2 magnitudes or greater		e = 0.615	some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds				d		2.8 pc		CV	UV Ceti		half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems													M_v = 15.3 and 15.8	0.15 M_sun		R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted	within a period of decades	hydrogen		Luyten 726-8 B	Late-type dwarf with spectra showing hydrogen emission lines. Faint flare star of very low mass. Like other flare stars, it is a member of a binary system in which both components are of nearly equal brightness. Radio flares have also been observed.		V	1".0
visual binary						greater than 1000 Kelvin																	half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems											binary star			greater than 0.08 the sun's mass							A binary star which can be resolved into two components with current telescopes.
zeta Aurigae star						greater than 1000 Kelvin																	half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems											binary star			greater than 0.08 the sun's mass							Binary star with a K supergiant primary and a main-sequence secondary.