Asterope (star)
Asterope or Sterope is the traditional name of a double star, whose components are designated 21 Tauri and 22 Tauri, in the constellation of Taurus,[1] although the International Astronomical Union now regards the name Asterope as only applying to 21 Tauri.[2] They are sometimes known as Sterope I and Sterope II.[3]
They are separated by 0.047° on the sky and are both members of the Pleiades open star cluster (M45) and approximately 440 light years from the Sun.
Nomenclature
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Right ascension | 03h 45m 54.4s |
| Declination | +24° 33' 17" |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +5.76 |
| Distance | 440 ly (135 pc) |
| Spectral type | B8V |
| Other designations | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Right ascension | 03h 46m 02.9s |
| Declination | +24° 31' 41" |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +6.43 |
| Distance | 440 ly (135 pc) |
| Spectral type | A0Vn |
| Other designations | |
21 Tauri and 22 Tauri are the stars' Flamsteed designations.
Asterope was one of the Pleiades sisters in Greek mythology.
In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[4] to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Asterope for 21 Tauri on 21 August 2016 and it is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.[2]
Namesake
USS Sterope (AK-96) was a United States Navy Crater class cargo ship named after the star.
Properties
21 Tauri is a blue-white B-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +5.76.
22 Tauri is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +6.43.
References
- ↑ Burnham, Robert (1978). Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System. 3. Courier Corporation. p. 1883.
- 1 2 "IAU Catalog of Star Names". Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ↑ Allen, Richard Hinckley (1963). Star names - Their Lore and Meaning. Dover Books. p. 407. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ↑ IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN), International Astronomical Union, retrieved 22 May 2016.