Scholz's Star
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 [1] Equinox J2000.0 [1] | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Template:Constel |
| Right ascension | 07h 20m 03.254s [1] |
| Declination | −08° 46′ 49.90″ [1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 18.3[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | M9 ± 1[2] T5[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | 83.1 [2] km/s |
| Parallax (π) | 166 ± 28 mas[2] |
| Distance | approx. 20 ly (approx. 6 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | 19.4[3] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 0.15[2] M☉ |
| Age | 3–10 billion[2] years |
| Other designations | |
WISE 0720-0846 (full designation name WISE J072003.20-084651.2, also known as Scholz's star after its discoverer)[4] is a binary stellar system about 17–23 light-years (5.1–7.2 parsecs) from the Sun in the southern constellation Monoceros near the Galactic plane.[2] The primary is a red dwarf with a stellar classification of M9±1 and has 86±2 Jupiter masses.[2] The secondary is probably a T5 brown dwarf with 65±12 Jupiter masses.[2] The system has 0.15 solar masses.[2] The pair orbit at a distance of about 0.8 astronomical units (120,000,000 kilometers; 74,000,000 miles).[2] The system has an apparent magnitude of 18.3,[2] and is estimated to be between 3 and 10 billion years old.[2]
It is estimated that the WISE 0720-0846 system passed about 52,000 astronomical units (0.25 parsecs; 0.82 light-years) from the Sun about 70,000 years ago.[2][4] Comets perturbed from the Oort cloud would require roughly 2 million years to get to the inner Solar System.[2] At closest approach the star would have had an apparent magnitude of about 11.4.[3] A star is expected to pass through the Oort Cloud every 100,000 years or so.[3] An approach as close or closer than WISE 0720-0846 is expected to occur about every 9 million years.[2]
The star was first discovered to be near the solar system by astronomer Ralf-Dieter Scholz,[4] announced on arXiv in November 2013, and has been nicknamed Scholz's star. There are about 100 known star systems within 21 light-years of the Sun.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "2MASS J07200325-0846499 -- Brown Dwarf Candidate". SIMBAD. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Mamajek, Eric E.; Barenfeld, Scott A.; Ivanov, Valentin D. (2015). "The Closest Known Flyby of a Star to the Solar System". The Astrophysical Journal. 800 (1). arXiv:1502.04655. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/800/1/L17.
- ^ a b c Mamajek, Eric. "FAQ". Retrieved 2015-02-18.
- ^ a b c d "Closest known flyby of star to our solar system: Dim star passed through Oort Cloud 70,000 years ago". ScienceDaily. 17 February 2015.
- ^ "THE ONE HUNDRED NEAREST STAR SYSTEMS". RECONS (Research Consortium On Nearby Stars). Retrieved 2015-02-18.
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