V842 Centauri

V842 Centauri

Location of V842 Centauri (circled in red)
Observation data Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation	Centaurus
Right ascension	14^h 35^m 52.568^s[1]
Declination	−57° 37′ 35.39″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	18.5 (pre-nova)[2] 4.6 (max during nova)[3] 16.5 (2010)[2]
Characteristics
Variable type	nova[3]
Astrometry
Distance	4498+391 −254[4] ly (1379+120 −78[4] pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	−7.5 (max during nova)[3]
Details
Mass	0.88[5] M☉
Other designations
Nova Centauri 1986, AAVSO 1428-57, Gaia DR2 5891405647833287296
Database references
SIMBAD	data

The light curve of V842 Centauri, plotted from AAVSO data

V842 Centauri, also known as Nova Centauri 1986, was a nova which occurred in 1986 in the constellation Centaurus. It was discovered by Robert H. McNaught of Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, on 22 November 1986. At the time of its discovery, it had an apparent magnitude of 5.6. It reached a peak magnitude of 4.6 one and a half days later, making it easily visible to the naked eye.^[6]

V842 Centauri is considered a moderately fast nova, having faded by 3 magnitudes after 48 days.^[3] Near the end of 1986, and early in 1987, its light curve showed a sharp drop in brightness, caused by the formation of dust. This dramatic fading lasted only about 50 days, before the nova brightened by about 2.5 magnitudes.^[7] By 2010, it had faded to magnitude 16.5, but was still 2 magnitudes brighter than before the nova eruption.^[2]

From its shell's expansion velocity, it is estimated to be at a distance of 1.5 kpc (4900 light-years) from Earth.^[8] Another method, based on the system's extinction rate, gives a similar distance of 1.65 ± 0.54 kpc.^[9] It was observed by the Gaia spacecraft, which measured a distance of 1.38 (+0.120, -0.078) kpc.^[4]

The mass of the white dwarf in V842 Centauri is estimated at 0.88 solar masses. The system is likely seem from a low inclination.^[5] An expanding nebula has been detected around V842 Centauri, formed by material ejected during the nova. It has two components, with diameters of 3.6" and 10.6", corresponding to material with different densities and expansion velocities.^[8]

A 2009 photometric study of V842 Centauri found a possible 57 seconds period in the system's light curve, which was interpreted as the white dwarf's rotation period. An orbital period of 3.94 hours was calculated from variations of this period. V842 Centauri was then classified as an intermediate polar, with the third fastest rotation period for a cataclismic system.^[10] However, two later studies revealed problems with this classification.^[5][2]

In 1995, observations with the 3.9 meter Anglo-Australian Telescope detected a very small (~1.5 arc second diameter) nova remnant shell surrounding V842 Centauri.^[11] By March 1998 the shell had expanded to 5.6 × 6.0 arc seconds.^[12]

References

1. 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.
2. Sion, Edward M.; Szkody, Paula; Mukadam, Anjum; Warner, Brian; et al. (August 2013). "Multiwavelength Photometry and Hubble Space Telescope Spectroscopy of the Old Nova V842 Centaurus". The Astrophysical Journal. 772 (2): 116. arXiv:1305.4564. Bibcode:2013ApJ...772..116S. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/772/2/116. S2CID 119202671. Article 116.
3. Whitelock, P. A. (1987). "Nova Cen 1986". Monthly Notes of the Astron. Soc. Southern Africa. 46: 72. Bibcode:1987MNSSA..46...72W.
4. Schaefer, Bradley E. (2018). "The distances to Novae as seen by Gaia". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 481 (3): 3033–3051. arXiv:1809.00180. Bibcode:2018MNRAS.481.3033S. doi:10.1093/mnras/sty2388. S2CID 118925493.
5. Luna, G. J. M.; Diaz, M. P.; Brickhouse, N. S.; Moraes, M. (June 2012). "XMM-Newton EPIC and OM observation of Nova Centauri 1986 (V842 Cen)". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. 423 (1): L75–L78. arXiv:1203.4804. Bibcode:2012MNRAS.423L..75L. doi:10.1111/j.1745-3933.2012.01260.x. S2CID 85526864.
6. Whitelock, P.A. (January 1987). "Nova Cen 1986". Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of South Africa. 46: 72. Bibcode:1987MNSSA..46...72W. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
7. Smith, Craig H.; Aitken, David K.; Roche, Patrick F. (March 1994). "The mid-infrared spectral development of nova CEN 1986". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 267 (2): 225–230. Bibcode:1994MNRAS.267..225S. doi:10.1093/mnras/267.2.225.
8. Tomov, T.; Swierczynski, E.; Mikolajewski, M.; Ilkiewicz, K. (April 2015). "SALT observations of southern post-novae". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 576: A119. arXiv:1502.03462. Bibcode:2015A&A...576A.119T. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201424709. S2CID 54741051. A119.
9. Özdönmez, Aykut; Güver, Tolga; Cabrera-Lavers, Antonio; Ak, Tansel (September 2016). "The distances of the Galactic novae". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 461 (2): 1177–1201. arXiv:1606.01907. Bibcode:2016MNRAS.461.1177O. doi:10.1093/mnras/stw1362. S2CID 118589678.
10. Woudt, Patrick A.; Warner, Brian; Osborne, Julian; Page, Kim (June 2009). "57-second oscillations in Nova Centauri 1986 (V842 Cen)". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 395 (4): 2177–2182. arXiv:0902.4826. Bibcode:2009MNRAS.395.2177W. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14668.x. S2CID 18517574.
11. Gill, C.D.; O'Brien, T.J. (October 1998). "Deep optical imaging of nova remnants: a southern sky sample". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 300 (1): 221–232. arXiv:astro-ph/9806076. Bibcode:1998MNRAS.300..221G. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01899.x.
12. Downes, Ronald A.; Duerbeck, Hilmar W. (2000). "Optical Imaging of Nova Shells and the Maximum Magnitude-Rate of Decline Relationship". The Astronomical Journal. 120 (4): 2007–2037. arXiv:astro-ph/0006458. Bibcode:2000AJ....120.2007D. doi:10.1086/301551. S2CID 119431018. Retrieved 1 January 2021.

External links

• V842 Centauri Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine
• V 842 Cen
• https://web.archive.org/web/20050907140444/http://www.tsm.toyama.toyama.jp/curators/aroom/var/nova/1980.htm