GK Persei

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GK Persei

GK Persei and the surrounding Firework Nebula.
Observation data
J2000.0
Constellation Perseus
Right ascension 03h 31m 11.82s[1]
Declination +43° 54′ 16.8″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 0.02[2] - 14.0[3]
Characteristics
Spectral type K1IV[4]
Distance
1,440+29
−26 ly
(442+9
−8[2] pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−9.1 - +3.7[2]
Inclination
(i)		67 ± 5°
Semi-amplitude (K2)
(secondary)		126.4 ± 0.9 km/s
Details[7]
White dwarf
Mass1.03+0.16
−0.11 M☉
Subgiant
Mass0.39+0.07
−0.06 M☉
Radius2.26 ± 0.11 R☉
BD+43 740a, 2MASS J03311201+4354154, 1RXS J033111.9+435427[8]
Database references
SIMBADdata

GK Persei (also Nova Persei 1901) was a bright

cataclysmic variable
star.

Surrounding GK Persei is the Firework Nebula, a nova remnant first detected in 1902 consisting of an expanding cloud of gas and dust bubbles moving up to 1200 km/s.[11]

AAVSO
data. The main plot shows the major outburst in 1901. Subplot A shows the minor outbursts which have been occurring about every 3 years since around 1980. Subplot B shows the outburst that occurred in 2018, on an expanded scale.

GK Persei has precise parallaxes reported from

Gaia EDR3,[12][6] but these are thought to be badly affected by the binary nature of the system. The Hubble Space Telescope has used a different method to derive the distance to GK Persei using nebular expansion velocity and compares that with its own astrometric parallax calculation. This gave a somewhat smaller parallax (larger distance) than the Gaia measurements.[13]

Properties

Novae consist of a main-sequence to giant star that accretes mass onto a white dwarf. The two stars of GK Persei orbit each other with a period of nearly 2 days. The white dwarf, with a mass of 1.03 M☉, has one of the highest masses measured in a cataclysmic variable. The donor star, having donated much of its mass to the white dwarf, is only 0.39 M☉ despite being a subgiant star.[7]

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 120396435
  2. ^
    S2CID 118925493
    .
  3. Bibcode:1995gcts.book.....V
    .
  4. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05013.x
    .
  5. Bibcode:1953GCRV..C......0W
    . Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  6. ^
    doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657e). Gaia EDR3 record for this source at VizieR
    .
  7. ^
    doi:10.1093/mnras/stab2547
    .
  8. ^ "V* GK Per". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  9. Bibcode:2013JBAA..123..270S
    .
  10. doi:10.1111/j.1468-4004.2006.47129.x
    .
  11. ^ "NOAO". Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  12. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR
    .
  13. S2CID 118376206
    .
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