HD 37974
 Artist concept of the stars, sun and planets not drawn to scale |
|
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Right ascension | 05h 36m 25.87s |
| Declination | –69° 22′ 55.9″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.91 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | B0.5Ia+[1] |
| B−V color index | 0.21 |
| Variable type | None |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | 258 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: -1.8 mas/yr Dec.: -15.1 mas/yr |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | −7.6[citation needed] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 70[1] M☉ |
| Radius | 79[citation needed] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 1,400,000[1] L☉ |
| Temperature | 22,500[1] K |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
HD 37974 (or R 126) is one of two stars that was identified by NASA's Spitzer space telescope in the Milky Way's 3rd nearest neighbor galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud (the other being R 66 or HDE 268835). Both stars are circled by monstrous dust disks located in the area that is theorised to be the origin of planets.
Significance
Both HD 37974 and HDE 268835 are hypergiants. The dust cloud around them surprised astronomers because stars as big as these were thought to be inhospitable to planet formation as they have very strong winds making it difficult/impossible for the dust clouds to "condense" into planets.
"We do not know if planets like those in our solar system are able to form in the highly energetic, dynamic environment of these massive stars, but if they could, their existence would be a short and exciting one" said Charles Beichman, an astronomer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology, both in Pasadena, California.[2]
References
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