Download Tour the sky`s reddest stars

deep-sky observing
Target these crimson beauties, and you’ll be
seeing red all year long. ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ BY michael e. bakich
Tour the sky’s
reddest stars
Observers love red stars, and they’re
cool in more ways than one. First, they have the lowest surface temperatures of any stars. And second, they’re great fun
to look at because not many astronomical objects reveal their
colors to the eye. But what makes them so red? And where
do you find the reddest? This guide will
help you discover some of these underobserved jewels.
Few naked-eye stars show color. The
closest we come to seeing a bright red star
without optics is coppery Betelgeuse (Alpha
Orionis) and orange Antares (Alpha Scorpii). And while some may quibble about the
reality of green stars or if a star looks purple due to a contrast effect, nearly everyone
sees red well.
How red is red?
Astronomers determine a star’s redness by
observation and simple math. They measure the star’s magnitude through blue (B)
and visual (V) filters. They then subtract
the visual magnitude from the blue. This
leaves a number — designated B–V —
called the color index. The more positive
the color index, the redder the star is.
For example, if a star has a blue magnitude of 5 and a visual magnitude of 3, then
B–V = 2. Color indices range from about
–0.5 for the bluest stars to a bit more than 5
for the reddest. A color index of 2 makes
our example a red star. The Sun’s color
index is 0.65.
Other color indices exist. Adding ultraviolet, red, and infrared filters gives rise to
U–B (usually for hot objects), R–I (for cool
objects), and other combinations. B–V,
however, is the color index astronomers use
most often.
ceti.” Later, Italian astronomer Giuseppe
Piazzi (1746–1826) called it Garnet Sidus in
a catalog of stars he compiled. Today, we
know it as Herschel’s Garnet Star.
As the prototype of a class of variable
stars called Mu Cephei variables, this star
swings between magnitudes 3.6 and 5 during a period of roughly 2 years. These numbers, however, give only its apparent
brightness. In reality, Mu ranks as one of
the brightest and largest stars known.
More than a billion Suns could fit inside
Mu Cep, and, if it occupied our solar system’s center, its outer atmosphere would lie
beyond Jupiter’s orbit. It outstrips the Sun’s
energy output by some 350,000 times. For
Mu, B–V = 2.26.
Superb!
In the northern constellation Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs, only 8° west of the
famous Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), sits a
variable star labeled Y. Its magnitude ranges
from about 4.8 to 6.3 during a 160-day
N
Jewel in the king’s crown
CEPHEUS
α
19
Mu (μ) Cephei sits 4.9° southeast of magnitude 2.4 Alpha Cephei. In 1783, Germanborn English astronomer Sir William
Herschel (1738–1822) described this
star as having “a very fine deep garnet
colour, such as the periodical star ο
ν
E
λ
ζ
3°
through a telescope, Herschel’s
Garnet Star (Mu [μ] Cephei) will appear
redder than in this image. Cameras accumulate and store light better than the
human eye, so they increase the brightness
of celestial images. anthony ayiomamitis
µ
IC 1396
HERSCHEL’S GARNET STAR (Mu [μ]
ASY-VS1207_02
Cephei) sits at the northern edge of
emission nebula IC 1396. Mu lies 3.6°
west-northwest of Zeta (ζ) Cephei.
All charts: aSTRONOMY: RICHARD TALCOTT AND ROEN KELLY
© 2010 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form
without permission from the publisher. www.Astronomy.com
the sky’s reddest staRs, almost
all of which are variable stars, deposit
carbon compounds on their surfaces.
As the number of dark molecules
builds up, the stars become redder and
fainter. astronomy: roen kelly
period. Because Y doesn’t strictly adhere to
this schedule, astronomers classify it as a
semi-regular variable. But what makes it
famous is its color.
Italian astronomer Father Angelo Secchi
(1818–1878), who classified a large number
of stars by their spectral types, was so
impressed with Y CVn that he called it “La
Superba.” Scientists study a star’s spectrum
by measuring the intensity of its light at
different wavelengths.
The standard spectral classes assign letters to stars based on their temperatures.
From hottest to coolest, the letters run O,
B, A, F, G, K, and M. Since that system
debuted, however, astronomers have classified even cooler stars. And the coolest of all
are carbon stars, designated C.
Carbon stars are giants much larger than
the Sun that have evolved past the point
where only hydrogen fusion provides their
energy. In these stars’ cores, helium fuses
into carbon and oxygen at much higher
temperatures. Because the energy output
has increased, the outer layers of these stars
swell and cool, thus becoming red. But a
standard red giant doesn’t appear all that
red because its production of oxygen is
greater than that of carbon.
In carbon stars, however, carbon production outpaces that of oxygen, and carbon compounds such as carbon monoxide
(CO) and cyanogen (CN) migrate to the
Michael E. Bakich is a senior editor of
Astronomy.
ν
Y
N
λ
CANES
V E N AT I C I
β
ι
N
κ
2
E
LEPUS
R
µ
6
α
3°
ASY-VS1207_01
LA SUPERBA (Y Canum Venaticorum) lies
4.5° north-northeast of magnitude 4.2
Chara (Beta [β] CVn). La Superba is a variable star. Its brightness changes from
magnitude 4.8 to 6.3.
star’s surface. There, carbon molecules
absorb short-wavelength light (green, blue,
and violet), making the star abnormally
red. In the case of La Superba, B–V = 2.55.
A drop of blood
The star R Leporis in Lepus the Hare is
another variable carbon star that appears
intensely red. With a B–V of 2.7, R Lep rose
to notoriety in October 1845, when British
astronomer John Russell Hind (1823–1895)
discovered it.
He found its color, “of the most intense
crimson, resembling a blood-drop on the
background of the sky; as regards depth of
color, no other star visible in these latitudes
could be compared with it.” R Leporis now
carries the moniker “Hind’s Crimson Star”
after its discoverer.
3°
ASY-VS1207_03
HIND’S CRIMSON STAR (R Leporis) glows
blood-red 3.5° west-northwest of Mu (μ)
Leporis. For the reddest view, observe R
Lep through a 6-inch or larger telescope
at its faintest, magnitude 11.7.
R Lep varies in brightness by more than
6 magnitudes, from 5.5 to 11.7 during a
430-day period. Because the star’s atmosphere absorbs the most short-wavelength
light at minimum brightness, R Lep looks
reddest when faintest. That, then, is the
time to observe its color. R Lep will reach
minimum during autumn 2008.
Tips for observing red stars
First, use your largest telescope. Your eyes
require a minimum brightness to trigger
their color receptors. That’s why we see
color during the daytime, but not at night
without artificial lighting.
Center the star in your eyepiece’s field of
view, and ever-so-slightly defocus the
image. Spreading out the star’s light into a
small disk will allow you to see its color
www.Astronomy.com
83
Red filter
Green filter
Blue filter
RGB
+
+
=
AN RGB IMAGE of R Leporis, taken with a CCD camera, shows the star appears brightest through a red filter; green and blue filters record it
ν
progressively fainter. Because R, G, and B images are monochromatic, they appear colorless. ADAM BLOCK/NOAO/AURA/NSF
N
N
µ
V
λ
α
NGC 7000
Deneb
C YG N U S
β
N
γ
δ
ι
ε
ξ
C R AT E R
γ
DY
α
λ
V
C RU X
3°
ν
θ
γ
3°
α
V CYGNI sits 2.9° due north of Deneb
ASY-VS1207_04
(Alpha
[α] Cygni), but it’s not easy to find.
σ
At maximum brightness, it glows weakly
at magnitude 7.8, but it fades 6 magnitudes as it moves to minimum. It will
appear reddest near minimum brightness.
RUBY CRUCIS (DY Crucis) lies less than 1'
ASY-VS1207_05
better. Be aware that your scope’s optics
may not be perfectly aligned. First, adjust
the focus so the eyepiece moves inward.
Then, move past the focus point an equal
amount in the other direction. View whichever disk looks rounder.
If possible, observe these targets when
they’re on or as close to the meridian (the
imaginary line passing north to south
through the overhead point) as possible. A
star on the meridian sits highest in the sky.
Viewing any star at other than its maximum altitude introduces false reddening
from our atmosphere, like the Sun’s changing color at sunrise and sunset. Believe me,
you won’t need the help.
northwest of magnitude 1.3 Mimosa (Beta
[β] Crucis). To see 9th-magnitude DY Crucis, insert an eyepiece that gives 100x or
more, and place brilliant Mimosa outside
the field of view.
Author picks
Along with the three famous stars above,
lots of other deep-red stars populate the
sky. Here are some of my favorites:
• V Cygni may be tough to observe at
minimum, but its color index of 4 makes
the effort worthwhile. During its 420-day
period, this star drops 6 magnitudes, from
7.8 to 13.8. Luckily, even at maximum
brightness, you’ll see a lot of red. Find this
star 2.9° north of Deneb.
• Southern Hemisphere observers
should look for DY Crucis, also known as
Ruby Crucis — a well-deserved name considering its B–V of 5.56. This star varies in
brightness from magnitude 8.6 to 9.8 and
lies quite close to Mimosa (Beta Crucis).
A CCD camera attached to a small telescope easily captures the variable star V
Cygni at minimum brightness. Stars like V
Cyg appear reddest at minimum brightness.
V Cyg has a color index of 4. anthony ayiomamitis
β
3°
PERHAPS THE SKY’S reddest star is V
ASY-VS1207_06
Hydrae. It sits 3.5° south-southwest of
Alkes (Alpha [α] Crateris). At maximum
χ
brightness, V Hya hovers near naked-eye
visibility at magnitude 6.5, but it drops to
magnitude 12 during a 533-day period.
For the best view, move magnitude 1.3
Mimosa out of your eyepiece’s field of view.
• V Hydrae — Observers consider this
the reddest of all stars when its brightness
lies at minimum, and with a B–V of 5.5, I
can’t disagree. V Hydrae’s magnitude varies
between 6.5 and 12 during a 533-day
period. V Hya sits in central Hydra near its
border with Crater the Cup. Observe it in
early May when it lies near the meridian an
hour after sunset. On star maps, don’t confuse it with Nu (ν) Hydrae, which lies 5°
north. The Greek letter Nu looks like a V.
You want more?
The Saguaro Astronomy Club (SAC) of
Phoenix maintains a number of great
observing databases, one of which contains
333 red stars. Go to www.saguaroastro.org/
content/downloads.htm, and click the “SAC
red stars database” to download it.
Red stars will please your eyes and help
you refine your telescope skills. If you keep
an observing log, you may exhaust your
thesaurus searching for other ways to say
“red.” One thing’s for sure, though. Looking
at these stars won’t give you the blues.