Suhail al Muhlif
HIP 39953; Gamma2 Vel
Objektdaten
- Katalogbezeichnung
- HIP 39953; Gamma2 Vel
- Typ
- DoubleStar
- Sternbild
- Vel
- Helligkeit
- 1.78
- Rektaszension
- 08h 09m 32.0s
- Deklination
- -47° 20' 12.0"
- Entfernung
- 1,257 Lichtjahre
- HR
- 3207
- HIP
- 39953
- Bayer
- Gamma2
Durchmusterungsbild
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Über Suhail al Muhlif
Beschreibung
Regor (also called Suhail al Muhlif) is one of the most remarkable star systems mit bloßem Auge sichtbar at magnitude 1.78. The primary is a Wolf-Rayet-Stern (Spektraltyp WC8) in a binary with an O9 supergiant, located about 1,100 Lichtjahre entfernt. Wolf-Rayet-Sterns are extremely hot, massive stars that are blowing off their outer layers in powerful stellar winds at thousands of km/s, exposing their helium-burning cores.
Beobachtungstipps
Gamma Vel lies in the rich Milchstraße fields des Sternbilds Segel and is one of the finest wide Doppelsterns in the sky — a kleines Teleskop reveals a brilliant pair of blue-white stars separated by about 41 Bogensekunden. The surrounding star field is gorgeous in Fernglas. Visible from the Südhalbkugel and low nördlichen Breiten. Best observed Februar through Mai.
Geschichte
The informal name Regor (Roger spelled backwards) was a joke by Apollo 1 astronaut Gus Grissom, honoring crewmate Roger Chaffee. The name stuck in some usage. Gamma Vel was one of the first Wolf-Rayet-Sterns identified, and its extreme spectral features have made it a prototype for studying massive stellar evolution.
Wissenswertes
The Wolf-Rayet component of Gamma Vel is losing mass at an extraordinary rate — shedding roughly one Earth mass per year through its fierce stellar wind. This wind collides with the O-star companion's wind, creating a cone of shocked, superheated gas that emits X-rays. The star is a supernova candidate.