V376 Carinae
Encyclopedia
V376 Carinae is a binary star
in the constellation
Carina
. It also has the Bayer designation
b¹ Carinae (b¹ Car). It has a combined apparent magnitude
of +4.93 and is approximately 621 light years from Earth
.
The primary component, V376 Carinae A, is a blue-white B-type
subgiant with a mean apparent magnitude
of +5.13. It is classified as a Beta Cephei type
variable star
and the brightness of the system varies from magnitude +4.91 to +4.96 with a period of 29.95 minutes.
The companion star, V376 Carinae B, is a blue-white B-type main sequence dwarf
with an apparent magnitude of +6.83. The two stars are separated by 40.4 arcseconds.
Binary star
A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes, or secondary...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Carina
Carina (constellation)
Carina is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the keel of a ship, and it was formerly part of the larger constellation of Argo Navis until that constellation was divided in three.-Stars:...
. It also has the Bayer designation
Bayer designation
A Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek letter, followed by the genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name...
b¹ Carinae (b¹ Car). It has a combined apparent magnitude
Apparent 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...
of +4.93 and is approximately 621 light years from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
The primary component, V376 Carinae A, is a blue-white B-type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
subgiant with a mean apparent magnitude
Apparent 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...
of +5.13. It is classified as a Beta Cephei type
Beta Cephei variable
Beta Cephei variables are variable stars which exhibit variations in their brightness due to pulsations of the stars' surfaces. The point of maximum brightness roughly corresponds to the maximum contraction of the star. Typically, Beta Cephei variables change in brightness by 0.01 to 0.3...
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...
and the brightness of the system varies from magnitude +4.91 to +4.96 with a period of 29.95 minutes.
The companion star, V376 Carinae B, is a blue-white B-type main sequence dwarf
Main sequence
The main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell...
with an apparent magnitude of +6.83. The two stars are separated by 40.4 arcseconds.