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U Camelopardalis

U Camelopardalis
U Camelopardalis.jpeg
U Camelopardalis is a bright star surrounded by a tenuous shell of gas. Its atmosphere contains more carbon than oxygen.
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Camelopardalis
Right ascension 03h 41m 48.17393s
Declination +62° 38′ 54.3906″
Apparent magnitude (V) 7.55
Characteristics
Spectral type C-N55.5 (MS4)
U−B color index +3.50
B−V color index +1.95
Variable type SRb
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv) -3.00 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: 3.50 mas/yr
Dec.: -3.62 mas/yr
Parallax (π) 1.03 ± 0.59mas
Distance 530pc
Absolute magnitude (MV) −2.4 (max)
Details
Luminosity 8,472 L
Temperature 3,000 K
Other designations
U Cam, BD+62° 596, HD 22611, HIP 17257, SAO 12870, GC 4371
Database references
SIMBAD data

Coordinates: Sky map03h 41m 48.17393s, +62° 38′ 54.3906″

U Camelopardalis is a semiregular variable star in the constellation Camelopardalis. Based on parallax measurements made by the Hipparcos spacecraft, it is located about 3,000 light-years (1,000 parsecs) away from the Earth. Its apparent visual magnitude is about 8, which is dim enough that it cannot be seen with the unaided eye.

The spectral type of U Camelopardalis in the revised MK system is C-N5, which indicates a classical carbon star spectrum approximately corresponding to late K or early M. The C2 index is 5.5 which is typical of a C-N star. It is also given an alternative spectral type of MS4, indicating a star similar to an M4 class but with somewhat enhanced ZrO bands. The spectral type may vary between C3,9 and C6,4e.

U Camelopardalis is a carbon star. These types of stars have greater levels of carbon in their atmospheres than oxygen, which means they form carbon compounds that make the star appear strikingly red. U Camelopardalis is nearly 4 magnitudes fainter at blue wavelengths than in the centre of the visual range. In the infra red K band it has an apparent magnitude of 0.37. Its brightness varies without a dominant period and it is classified as semi-regular, although a period of 400 days has been published. In the V photometric band the brightness varies by around half a magnitude, but the amplitude is nearly two magnitudes at blue wavelengths. The maximum visual magnitude has been given as 7.2.


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