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by | Feb 6, 2018 | Large Trees

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FU Tauri is a brown dwarf binary system in the constellation of Taurus about 429 light years away. The secondary is very close to the lower limit for brown dwarfs and several databases list it as a distant massive exoplanet.

System

The two stars of the FU Tauri system are separated by 5.7″, equivalent to 800 AU at the distance of FU Tauri.[6] The primary is a brown dwarf with a mass of 0.05 M☉, while the secondary has a mass of 0.015 M☉. The secondary mass of 15 MJ is close to the dividing line between brown dwarfs and exoplanets, and it is often treated as an exoplanet.[7]

Properties

Both members of the binary are low-mass objects still contracting towards the main sequence. Comparison with theoretical evolutionary tracks gives them ages of one Myr or less. However, the primary is more luminous than expected even for this age and it may be younger than the secondary.[5] The primary has a temperature of 2,838 K, a radius of 1.8 R☉, and a bolometric luminosity of 0.2 L☉. The secondary has a temperature of 2,375 K and a bolometric luminosity of 0.0039 L☉.[5]

Variability

A red band light curve for FU Tauri, adapted from Scholz et al. (2012)[8]

FU Tauri varies in brightness. The primary star is a T Tauri variable, a type of irregular pre-main-sequence star. Its brightness has been observed to vary from a photovisual magnitude of 16.0 to fainter than 17.0.[9] Its photographic magnitude has been measured to vary between magnitude 15.1 and below magnitude 17.6.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ a b c d e f 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.
  3. ^ a b c d e Luhman, K. L.; Mamajek, E. E.; Allen, P. R.; Muench, A. A.; Finkbeiner, D. P. (2009). "Discovery of a Wide Binary Brown Dwarf Born in Isolation". The Astrophysical Journal. 691 (2): 1265. arXiv:0902.0425. Bibcode:2009ApJ...691.1265L. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/691/2/1265.
  4. ^ Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1: B/gcvs. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Stelzer, B.; Scholz, A.; Argiroffi, C.; Micela, G. (2010). "The enigmatic young brown dwarf binary FU Tau: Accretion and activity". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 408 (2): 1095–1102. arXiv:1006.2717. Bibcode:2010MNRAS.408.1095S. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17182.x. S2CID 16358981.
  6. ^ Monin, J.-L.; Whelan, E. T.; Lefloch, B.; Dougados, C.; Alves De Oliveira, C. (2013). "A molecular outflow driven by the brown dwarf binary FU Tauri". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 551: L1. arXiv:1301.4387. Bibcode:2013A&A...551L...1M. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220973. S2CID 55550017.
  7. ^ "FU Tauri". Open Exoplanet Catalogue. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  8. ^ Scholz, Alexander; Stelzer, Beate; Costigan, Grainne; Barrado, David; Eislöffel, Jochen; Lillo-Box, Jorge; Riviere-Marichalar, Pablo; Stoev, Hristo (January 2012). "Magnetic activity and accretion on FU Tau A: clues from variability". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 419 (2): 1271–1279. arXiv:1109.3474. Bibcode:2012MNRAS.419.1271S. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19781.x.
  9. ^ Romano, G. (1975). "Observations of T Tau stars and related objects in Taurus dark cloud". Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana. 46: 81. Bibcode:1975MmSAI..46...81R.
  10. ^ Gotz, W. (1961). "Photographische Untersuchungen an RW Aurigae-Sternen in den Dunkelgebieten von Taurus und Orion". Veroeffentlichungen der Sternwarte Sonneberg. 5: 87. Bibcode:1961VeSon...5...87G.
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