Astronomy and Space

Gamma Lupi

Gamma Lupi, Latinized from γ Lupi, is a triple star system in the constellation of Lupus. It is easily visible to the naked eye, having an apparent magnitude of 2.77. It is also known in ancient Chinese astronomy as 騎官一 or "the 1st (star) of the Cavalry Officer". With a telescope, Gamma Lupi can be resolved into a binary star system in close orbit. This is known as the Gamma Lupi AB system, often abbreviated as γ Lupi AB or γ Lup AB. The system has a hierarchical architecture. The primary, Gamma Lupi A is itself a spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 2.849769 days. Although the system does not show eclipses, the hotter star of the pair heats the side of the cooler star that faces it, and as they orbit each other the combined starlight varies in brightness by about 0.02 magnitudes, as seen from the Earth. The outer component, Gamma Lupi B, is widely-separated, with a semi-major axis of 81 astronomical units and an orbital period of 210 years. This star is a proper motion member of the Upper Centaurus–Lupus sub-group in the Scorpius–Centaurus OB association, the nearest such co-moving association of massive stars to the Sun.

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See also

• ▸13 Monocerotis
• ▸Ambroise Louis Garneray
• ▸High Energy Astronomy Observatory 1

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