BO Microscopii in the context of Stellar rotation


BO Microscopii in the context of Stellar rotation

BO Microscopii Study page number 1 of 1

Play TriviaQuestions Online!

or

Skip to study material about BO Microscopii in the context of "Stellar rotation"


⭐ Core Definition: BO Microscopii

BO Microscopii (BO Mic) is a star in the constellation Microscopium located about 170 light-years (52 parsecs; 11 million astronomical units) from the Sun. It has been dubbed "Speedy Mic" because of its very rapid rotation. The projected rotational velocity at the equator of this star is about 135 km/s (84 mi/s), which, with an estimated inclination of 70° to the line of sight from the Earth, means it completes a rotation every 0.380 ± 0.004 days (9.120 ± 0.096 hours).

The photosphere of this star shows a high level of magnetic activity, with multiple star spots and prominences observed at the same time. As many as 25 prominences have been observed simultaneously, extending outward as far as 3.6 times the radius of the star. BO Mic is a flare star that undergoes sudden increases in X-ray and ultraviolet emissions. These events can emit a hundred times more energy than large solar flares. Speedy Mic is one of the most active stars in the vicinity of the Sun.

↓ Menu
HINT:

In this Dossier

BO Microscopii in the context of Microscopium

Microscopium ("the Microscope") is a minor constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere, one of twelve created in the 18th century by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille and one of several depicting scientific instruments. The name is a Latinised form of the Greek word for microscope. Its stars are faint and hardly visible from most of the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere.

The constellation's brightest star is Gamma Microscopii of apparent magnitude 4.68, a yellow giant 2.5 times the Sun's mass located 223 ± 8 light-years distant. It passed within 1.14 and 3.45 light-years of the Sun some 3.9 million years ago, possibly disturbing the outer Solar System. Three star systems—WASP-7, AU Microscopii and HD 205739—have been determined to have planets, while other star —the Sun-like star HD 202628— has a debris disk. AU Microscopii and the binary red dwarf system AT Microscopii are probably a wide triple system and members of the Beta Pictoris moving group. Nicknamed "Speedy Mic", BO Microscopii is a star with an extremely fast rotation period of 9 hours, 7 minutes.

View the full Wikipedia page for Microscopium
↑ Return to Menu