Gaia 8: Discovery of a star cluster containing beta Lyrae -- and of a larger old (extinct) star formation complex surrounding it
| Autor: | Bastian, U. |
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| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics FOS: Physical sciences Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR) |
| DOI: | 10.48550/arxiv.1909.04612 |
| Popis: | Aims: To try and clarify whether there are stars in the neighbourhood of $\beta$ Lyrae which are physically connected to the famous prototype eclipsing binary. Methods: Scrutinize the astrometric and photometric data (from Hipparcos and Gaia DR2) of stars in a limited sky field around $\beta$~Lyrae. Results: A star cluster of about 100 members is discovered, nicely centered on $\beta$~Lyrae in 5 dimensions. There are clear indications that the newly discovered cluster belongs to a larger old (extinct) star formation complex, including two already known star clusters and an extended strewn field of stars at practically the same distance and space velocity.} Conclusions: This discovery opens up the possibility of determining a precise distance and a precise age for $\beta$ Lyrae, using the combined properties of the cluster members. This in turn may provide an important asset for an improved astrophysical interpretation of the model binary $\beta$ Lyrae and its kin. --- The larger old star formation complex is of scientific interest in its own right. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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