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Omicron Cassiopeiae

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ο Cassiopeiae
Location of ο Cassiopeiae (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox ICRS
Constellation Cassiopeia
Right ascension 00h 44m 43.519s[1]
Declination +48° 17 03.73[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 4.30 to 4.62[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type B3Ve (Aa)
B7V (Ab2)
B7V (Ab2)[3]
U−B color index −0.53[4]
B−V color index −0.06[4]
Variable type γ Cas[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−12.36±0.41[5] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +17.415 mas/yr[1]
Dec.: −8.947 mas/yr[1]
Parallax (π)4.7046±0.4306 mas[6]
Distance690 ± 60 ly
(210 ± 20 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−2.55 / 0.35[5]
Orbit[5]
Primaryο Cas Aa
Nameο Cas Ab
Period (P)1031.55 d
Semi-major axis (a)0.0170±0.0006″
Eccentricity (e)0
Inclination (i)115.0±2.6°
Longitude of the node (Ω)267.3±0.8°
Periastron epoch (T)2452792.2±0.6 JD
Argument of periastron (ω)
(secondary)
0°
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)
21.593±0.071 km/s
Orbit[3]
PrimaryAb1
NameAb2
Period (P)11.66043 ± 0.000031
Eccentricity (e)0 (fixed)
Periastron epoch (T)60529.5023 ± 0.0078
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)
75.79 ± 0.45 km/s
Semi-amplitude (K2)
(secondary)
81.47 km/s
Details[5]
ο Cas Aa
Mass6.07[3] M
Radius8.0 R
Surface gravity (log g)3.284[7] cgs
Temperature14,438[7] K
Rotational velocity (v sin i)208±13[7] km/s
ο Cas Ab1
Mass3.37 [3] M
ο Cas Ab2
Mass3.26[3] M
Other designations
ο Cas, 22 Cassiopeiae, BD+47°183, FK5 25, HD 4180, HIP 3504, HR 193, SAO 36620, ADS 622, CCDM J00447+4817[8]
Database references
SIMBADο Cas A
ο Cas B

Omicron Cassiopeiae is a triple star system[7] in the constellation Cassiopeia. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from ο Cassiopeiae, and abbreviated Omicron Cas or ο Cas. This star is approximately 690 light-years (210 pc) 700 light-years from Earth, based on its parallax.[6] It is visible to the naked eye with a slightly variable apparent magnitude of about 4.5.

A visual band light curve for Omicron Cassiopeiae, adapted from Koubský et al. (2010)[5]

The primary component, ο Cassiopeiae A, is a spectroscopic binary, and its close companion completes one orbit every 2.83 years (1,031.55 days). The system has also been resolved with interferometry.[5]

The primary of this spectroscopic binary is a blue-white B-type giant star.[9] It is classified as a Gamma Cassiopeiae variable and its brightness varies from magnitude 4.30 to 4.62. It is rotating at a speed of 249 km/s at its equator (close to its theoretical break-up velocity of 332 km/s),[7] although because the pole is inclined 36 degrees,[5] its projected rotational velocity is 208 km/s.[7] The nature of the secondary is not well known. Despite the fact that the secondary is 2.9 magnitudes dimmer than the primary, the secondary appears to have a mass similar to, or even larger than primary.[5] It is possible that the secondary is a pair of early A-type main-sequence stars.[5]

A more distant companion, ο Cassiopeiae B, lies 33.6 arcseconds away. It is an eleventh-magnitude, F-type main-sequence star.[9] Because it has a similar proper motion to the central system, it is assumed to be gravitationally bound.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  2. 1 2 Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Harmanec, Petr; Yang, Stephenson; Slechta, Miroslav; Grundstrom, Erika D.; Ribeiro, Jose; Harmanec, Adam (2026). "The be star omicron Cas is indeed the primary of a triple system". arXiv:2604.20747 [astro-ph.SR].
  4. 1 2 Johnson, H. L. (1966). "UBVRIJKL Photometry of the Bright Stars". Communications of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. 4: 99. Bibcode:1966CoLPL...4...99J.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Koubský, P.; et al. (2010). "Properties and nature of Be stars. 28. Implications of systematic observations for the nature of the multiple system with the Be star o Cassiopeæ and its circumstellar environment". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 517: A24. Bibcode:2010A&A...517A..24K. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201014477.
  6. 1 2 Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 616. A1. arXiv:1804.09365. Bibcode:2018A&A...616A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Touhami, Y.; et al. (May 2013). "A CHARA Array Survey of Circumstellar Disks around Nearby Be-type Stars". The Astrophysical Journal. 768 (2). id. 128. arXiv:1302.6135. Bibcode:2013ApJ...768..128T. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/768/2/128.
  8. "omi Cas". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  9. 1 2 Koubský, Pavel; et al. (2004). "The Be star omicron Cassiopeiae". IAU Colloq. 193: Variable Stars in the Local Group. 310: 387. Bibcode:2004ASPC..310..387K.
  10. Pourbaix, D.; et al. (2004). "SB9: The ninth catalogue of spectroscopic binary orbits". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 424 (2): 727–732. arXiv:astro-ph/0406573. Bibcode:2004A&A...424..727P. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20041213. S2CID 119387088.