Maia (star)
Encyclopedia
Maia is a star
in the constellation Taurus
. It is the fourth brightest star in the Pleiades
open star cluster
(M45), after Alcyone
, Atlas
and Electra
, in that order. The name Maia originates with the and . She is one of the seven daughters
of Atlas
and Pleione
in Greek mythology
—stars which are also included in the Pleaides star cluster (see map). Maia is a blue giant
of spectral type B8 III, and a mercury-manganese star
.
is 3.871, requiring darker skies to be seen. Its total bolometric
luminosity is 660 times solar, mostly in the ultraviolet
, thus suggesting a radius that is 5.5 times that of the Sun and a mass that is slightly more than 4 times solar. Maia is one of the stars in the Maia Nebula (also known as NGC 1432), a bright emission or reflection nebula within the Pleiades star cluster.
Maia was thought to be a variable star
by astronomer Otto Struve
. A class of stars known as Maia variables was proposed, which included Gamma Ursae Minoris
, but Maia and some others in the class have since been found to be stable.
. She was raped by Zeus, thereby conceiving Hermes, the messenger god. As Maia and the Pleiades are visible in the winter night sky along with the constellation
Orion
, the Greek myths
tell of Maia and her sisters being pursued by the giant huntsman, and turned into doves to preserve their safety.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
in the constellation Taurus
Taurus (constellation)
Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is a Latin word meaning 'bull', and its astrological symbol is a stylized bull's head:...
. It is the fourth brightest star in the Pleiades
Pleiades (star cluster)
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
open star cluster
Open cluster
An open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud and have roughly the same age. More than 1,100 open clusters have been discovered within the Milky Way Galaxy, and many more are thought to exist...
(M45), after Alcyone
Alcyone (star)
Alcyone is a star system in the constellation Taurus. It is the brightest star in the Pleiades open cluster, which is a young cluster, aged at less than 50 million years. Alcyone is approximately 370 light years from Earth. It is named after the mythological figure Alcyone, one of the...
, Atlas
Atlas (star)
Atlas is a triple star system in the Pleiades open cluster . It is also known as 27 Tauri.The primary component, Atlas A, is a blue-white B-type giant with an apparent magnitude of +3.62. It is a spectroscopic binary whose components have magnitudes of +4.1 and +5.6. The binary makes one orbit...
and Electra
Electra (star)
Electra, also cataloged as 17 Tauri, is a blue-white giant star in the constellation of Taurus. The star is one of the nine brightest stars in the Pleiades open cluster. The most visible stars in this group are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology.The star has an apparent brightness of...
, in that order. The name Maia originates with the and . She is one of the seven daughters
Pleiades (Greek mythology)
The Pleiades , companions of Artemis, were the seven daughters of the titan Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione born on Mount Cyllene. They are the sisters of Calypso, Hyas, the Hyades, and the Hesperides...
of Atlas
Atlas (star)
Atlas is a triple star system in the Pleiades open cluster . It is also known as 27 Tauri.The primary component, Atlas A, is a blue-white B-type giant with an apparent magnitude of +3.62. It is a spectroscopic binary whose components have magnitudes of +4.1 and +5.6. The binary makes one orbit...
and Pleione
Pleione (star)
Pleione is a binary star in the Pleiades star cluster , located roughly 390 light years away in the constellation of Taurus. Pleione was not given a Bayer designation, but did receive a Flamsteed number—hence its designation 28 Tauri...
in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
—stars which are also included in the Pleaides star cluster (see map). Maia is a blue giant
Blue giant
In astronomy, a blue giant is a star with a spectral type of O or B and a luminosity class of III...
of spectral type B8 III, and a mercury-manganese star
Mercury-manganese star
A mercury-manganese star is a type of chemically peculiar star with a prominent spectral line at 398.4 nm, due to absorption from ionized mercury...
.
Overview
Maia's visual magnitudeApparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
is 3.871, requiring darker skies to be seen. Its total bolometric
Bolometer
A bolometer is a device for measuring the power of incident electromagnetic radiation via the heating of a material with a temperature-dependent electrical resistance. It was invented in 1878 by the American astronomer Samuel Pierpont Langley...
luminosity is 660 times solar, mostly in the ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
, thus suggesting a radius that is 5.5 times that of the Sun and a mass that is slightly more than 4 times solar. Maia is one of the stars in the Maia Nebula (also known as NGC 1432), a bright emission or reflection nebula within the Pleiades star cluster.
Maia was thought to be a variable star
Variable star
A star is classified as variable if its apparent magnitude as seen from Earth changes over time, whether the changes are due to variations in the star's actual luminosity, or to variations in the amount of the star's light that is blocked from reaching Earth...
by astronomer Otto Struve
Otto Struve
Otto Struve was a Russian astronomer. In Russian, his name is sometimes given as Otto Lyudvigovich Struve ; however, he spent most of his life and his entire scientific career in the United States...
. A class of stars known as Maia variables was proposed, which included Gamma Ursae Minoris
Gamma Ursae Minoris
Gamma Ursae Minoris is a slightly variable star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It also has the common name Pherkad. Together with Beta Ursae Minoris, Gamma forms the end of the dipper pan of the "Little Dipper"...
, but Maia and some others in the class have since been found to be stable.
Mythology
Maia was the oldest of seven beautiful sisters known as the PleiadesPleiades (Greek mythology)
The Pleiades , companions of Artemis, were the seven daughters of the titan Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione born on Mount Cyllene. They are the sisters of Calypso, Hyas, the Hyades, and the Hesperides...
. She was raped by Zeus, thereby conceiving Hermes, the messenger god. As Maia and the Pleiades are visible in the winter night sky along with the constellation
Orion (constellation)
Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky...
Orion
Orion (mythology)
Orion was a giant huntsman in Greek mythology whom Zeus placed among the stars as the constellation of Orion....
, the Greek myths
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
tell of Maia and her sisters being pursued by the giant huntsman, and turned into doves to preserve their safety.
See also
- Lists of stars in the constellation Taurus
- Class B Stars
- Mercury-manganese starMercury-manganese starA mercury-manganese star is a type of chemically peculiar star with a prominent spectral line at 398.4 nm, due to absorption from ionized mercury...
- Maia in fiction
External links
- Jim Kaler's Stars, University of Illinois:Maia (20 Tauri)
- High-resolution LRGB image based on 4 hrs total exposure: NGC 1432 - Maia Nebula
- APODAstronomy Picture of the DayAstronomy Picture of the Day is a website provided by NASA and Michigan Technological University . According to the website, "Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer."The photograph is not necessarily...
Pictures: