{{Short description|Variable star in the constellation Centaurus}} {{About-distinguish|V Centauri|HD 125288{{!}}v Centauri}} {{Starbox begin |name=V Centauri }} {{Starbox image | image = [[Image:VCenLightCurve.png|250px]] | caption = A [[light curve]] for V Centauri, plotted from ''[[Hipparcos]]'' data<ref name=HipDataAccess/> }} {{Starbox observe |epoch= J2000 |ra= {{RA|14|32|33.0833}}<ref name=dr3/> |dec= {{DEC|-56|53|15.774}}<ref name=dr3/> |appmag_v=6.42 - 7.22<ref name=gcvs/> |constell=[[Centaurus (constellation)|Centaurus]] }} {{Starbox character |class=F5 Ib/II<ref name=Houk1975>{{cite journal|bibcode=1975mcts.book.....H|title=University of Michigan Catalogue of Two-dimensional Spectral Types for the HD Stars. Volume I. Declinations -90°.0 to -53°.0.|journal=Michigan Catalogue of Two-dimensional Spectral Types for the HD Stars|volume=1|author1=Houk, N.|author2=Cowley, A. P.|year=1975}}</ref> |r-i = |v-r = |b-v = 0.87<ref name=SIMBAD/> |u-b = |variable=[[Classical Cepheid variable|Classical Cepheid]]<ref name=gcvs>{{cite journal|bibcode=2009yCat....102025S|title=VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)|journal=VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S|volume=1|pages=B/GCVS|display-authors=etal|last1=Samus|first1=N. N.|last2=Durlevich|first2=O. V.|year=2009}}</ref> }} {{Starbox astrometry |radial_v= −18.90 ± 1.4<ref name=Gontcharov>{{cite journal|title=Pulkovo Compilation of Radial Velocities for 35 495 Hipparcos stars in a common system|author=Gontcharov, G. A.|date=2006|journal=Astronomy Letters|volume=32|issue=11|pages=759–771|bibcode=2006AstL...32..759G|doi=10.1134/S1063773706110065|arxiv=1606.08053|s2cid=119231169}}</ref> |prop_mo_ra=−6.697<ref name=dr3/> |prop_mo_dec=−7.068<ref name=dr3/> |parallax= 1.3898 |p_error= 0.0221 |parallax_footnote=<ref name=dr3>{{cite Gaia DR3|5891675303053080704}}</ref> |absmag_v= }} {{Starbox detail |mass=4.3<ref name=marconi2020>{{cite journal | title=Predicted Masses of Galactic Cepheids in the Gaia Data Release 2 | last1=Marconi | first1=Marcella | last2=De Somma | first2=Giuli | last3=Ripepi | first3=Vincenzo | last4=Molinaro | first4=Roberto | last5=Musella | first5=Ilaria | last6=Leccia | first6=Silvio | last7=Moretti | first7=Maria Ida | journal=The Astrophysical Journal Letters | volume=898 | issue=1 | id=L7 | display-authors=1 | date=July 2020 | pages=L7 | doi=10.3847/2041-8213/aba12b | arxiv=2006.16610 | bibcode=2020ApJ...898L...7M | s2cid=220265392 | doi-access=free }}</ref> |radius=40<ref name=dr3/> |luminosity=1,657<ref name=groenewegen2020/> |temperature=5,500<ref name=groenewegen2020>{{cite journal|last1=Groenewegen|first1=M. A. T.|year=2020|title=Analysing the spectral energy distributions of Galactic classical Cepheids|journal=[[Astronomy and Astrophysics]]|volume=635|pages=A33|arxiv=2002.02186|bibcode=2020A&A...635A..33G|doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201937060|s2cid=211043995}}</ref> |metal_fe=+0.12<ref name=ripepi2022>{{cite journal |bibcode=2022A&A...659A.167R |title=Classical Cepheid period-Wesenheit-metallicity relation in the Gaia bands |last1=Ripepi |first1=V. |last2=Catanzaro |first2=G. |last3=Clementini |first3=G. |last4=De Somma |first4=G. |last5=Drimmel |first5=R. |last6=Leccia |first6=S. |last7=Marconi |first7=M. |last8=Molinaro |first8=R. |last9=Musella |first9=I. |last10=Poggio |first10=E. |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |year=2022 |volume=659 |pages=A167 |doi=10.1051/0004-6361/202142649 |arxiv=2201.01126 |s2cid=245668845 }}</ref> |gravity=1.89<ref name=dr3/> |rotational_velocity= |age_myr=103<ref name=skowran2019>{{cite journal |bibcode=2019AcA....69..305S |title=Mapping the Northern Galactic Disk Warp with Classical Cepheids |last1=Skowron |first1=D. M. |last2=Skowron |first2=J. |last3=Mróz |first3=P. |last4=Udalski |first4=A. |last5=Pietrukowicz |first5=P. |last6=Soszyński |first6=I. |last7=Szymański |first7=M. K. |last8=Poleski |first8=R. |last9=Kozłowski |first9=S. |last10=Ulaczyk |first10=K. |last11=Rybicki |first11=K. |last12=Iwanek |first12=P. |last13=. Wrona |first13=M. |last14=Gromadzki |first14=M. |journal=Acta Astronomica |year=2019 |volume=69 |issue=4 |page=305 |doi=10.32023/0001-5237/69.4.1 |arxiv=1912.11142 |s2cid=209460868 }}</ref> }} {{Starbox catalog | names = {{odlist|V=V Cen|CD=-56°5479|HD=127297|HIP=71116|HR=5421|SAO=241777}}<ref name=SIMBAD>{{cite simbad|title=V* V Cen}}</ref> }} {{Starbox reference | Simbad=HR+5421 }} {{Starbox end}}
'''V Centauri''' ('''V Cen''') is a [[Classical Cepheid variable]], a type of [[variable star|variable]] [[star]], in the constellation [[Centaurus (constellation)|Centaurus]]. It is approximately 2,350 light-years (720 parsecs) away based on [[stellar parallax|parallax]].
Alexander W. Roberts discovered this star in 1894, and from 267 visual observations he determined is period of variation.<ref name="Voûte1927"/> V Centauri varies regularly between [[visual magnitude]]s 6.42 and 7.22 every 5.5 days. It is classified as a [[Cepheid variable]] on the basis of its light variations, with the brightness increase from minimum to maximum taking only a third of the time of the decrease from maximum to minimum. Cepheids are [[pulsating variable star]]s and V Centauri expands and contracts over its pulsation cycle as well as changing temperature.<ref name=gcvs/>
According to the South African Astronomical Observatory, the chemical composition was derived as being high in sodium (Na) and aluminium (Al) and low in magnesium (Mg).<ref name="Usenko 432–445">{{Cite journal|last1=Usenko|first1=I. A.|last2=Kniazev|first2=A. Yu|last3=Berdnikov|first3=L. N.|last4=Kravtsov|first4=V. V.|last5=Fokin|first5=A. B.|date=2013-07-01|title=Spectroscopic studies of southern-hemisphere Cepheids: Six objects in Centaurus (V Cen, V737 Cen) and Sagittarius (BB Sgr, W Sgr, X Sgr, Y Sgr)|journal=Astronomy Letters|language=en|volume=39|issue=7|pages=432–445|doi=10.1134/S1063773713070074|issn=1063-7737|bibcode=2013AstL...39..432U|s2cid=121213614}}</ref> Following a normal composition for a Cepheid star, V Cen does not have any unusual characteristics. V Centauri's composition was observed alongside six other Classical Cepheid variable stars with the support of Russian, Chilean, and Ukrainian observatories.<ref name="Usenko 432–445"/>
==References== <references> <ref name=HipDataAccess>{{cite web |title=Hipparcos Tools Interactive Data Access |url=https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/hipparcos/interactive-data-access |website=Hipparcos |publisher=ESA |access-date=8 December 2021}}</ref>
<ref name="Voûte1927">{{cite journal |last1=Voûte |first1=J. |title=V Centauri |journal=Annals of the Bosscha Observatory Lembang (Java) Indonesia |date=1927 |volume=2 |pages=B42-B45 |bibcode=1927AnBos...2B..42V |url=https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1927AnBos...2B..42V |access-date=14 January 2025}}</ref> </references>
{{Stars of Centaurus}}
[[Category:Centaurus]] [[Category:F-type supergiants]] [[Category:Objects with variable star designations|Centauri, V]] [[Category:Hipparcos objects|071116]] [[Category:Durchmusterung objects]] [[Category:Henry Draper Catalogue objects|127297]] [[Category:Bright Star Catalogue objects|5421]] [[Category:Classical Cepheid variables]] [[Category:Population I stars]]