HD 115600

HD 115600

Image of the HD 115600 debris ring from the Gemini Planet Imager. The disk center (diamond) is slightly offset from the star's position (cross).
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Centaurus
Right ascension 13h 19m 19.54s[1]
Declination −59° 28′ 20.4″[1]
Characteristics
Spectral type F2/F3V[2]
B−V color index 0.37[3]
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: -33.53 ± 0.62[1] mas/yr
Dec.: -17.81 ± 0.56[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)9.05 ± 0.90 mas[1]
Distance360 ± 40 ly
(110 ± 10 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)3.00
Details
Age15[4] Myr
Other designations
CD−58° 4985, HIP 64995, SAO 240737
Database references
SIMBADdata

HD 115600 is a star in the constellation Centaurus and a member of the Scorpius–Centaurus association, the nearest OB association to the Sun and the host star of a bright Kuiper belt-like debris ring.[4]

The star has a spectral type of F2/F3V and is about 50% more massive than the Sun[2] and is located approximately 110.5 parsecs (360 ly) distant from Earth.[1] It is around 15 million years old.[4] Data from the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed a large infrared excess consistent with the presence of a luminous, dusty circumstellar disk.[5]

Debris ring

On May 26, 2015 a team led by Thayne Currie, Carey Lisse, and Marc Kuchner announced the discovery of a scattered light-resolved debris disk[4] likely responsible for the system's strong infrared excess around HD 115600 using the Gemini Planet Imager.

The debris disk is shaped like a ring and has a (luminosity-scaled) semimajor axis of about 48 (22) AU, comparable to the current Kuiper belt.[6] The debris ring appears eccentric. Using models simulating the interaction between massive planets and debris disks, eccentric analogues of the outer solar system planets could explain the disk's eccentricity and ring-like appearance.[4]

The dust making the ring visible appears to be neutral scattering; spectra of the ring ansae reveal a gray to slightly blue color, consistent with major Kuiper belt constituents. The disk likely has a very high albedo, which is expected if it is icy like the Kuiper belt. The disk is the first new object discovered with extreme adaptive optics.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f van Leeuwen, F. (2007), "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 747 (2): 653–664, arXiv:0708.1752, Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357, S2CID 18759600
  2. ^ a b Pecaut, M.; Mamajek, E.; Bubar, E. (2012), "A Revised Age for Upper Scorpius and the Star Formation History among the F-type Members of the Scorpius–Centaurus OB Association", The Astrophysical Journal, 746 (2): 154, arXiv:1112.1695, Bibcode:2012ApJ...746..154P, doi:10.1088/0004-637x/746/2/154, S2CID 118461108
  3. ^ Hog, E.; Fabricius, C.; Makarov, V.V.; et al. (2010), "The Tycho-2 catalogue of the 2.5 million brightest stars", Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters, 355: 27
  4. ^ a b c d e f Currie, T.; Lisse, C.; Kuchner, M.; et al. (2015), "Direct Imaging and Spectroscopy of a Young Extrasolar Kuiper Belt in the Nearest OB Association", The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 807 (1): L7, arXiv:1505.06734, Bibcode:2015ApJ...807L...7C, doi:10.1088/2041-8205/807/1/l7, S2CID 119111137
  5. ^ Chen, C.; Mamajek, E.; Bitner, M.; et al. (2011), "A Magellan MIKE and Spitzer MIPS Study of 1.5–1.0 Msun Stars in Scorpius–Centaurus", The Astrophysical Journal, 738 (2): 122, Bibcode:2011ApJ...738..122C, doi:10.1088/0004-637x/738/2/122
  6. ^ Jewitt, D.; Luu, J. (1993), "Discovery of the candidate Kuiper belt object 1992 QB1", Nature, 362 (6422): 730–732, Bibcode:1993Natur.362..730J, doi:10.1038/362730a0, S2CID 4359389