WX Pyxidis

WX Pyxidis

Near-infrared (J band) light curves for WX Pyxidis, showing variation over the white dwarf rotation period (top) and orbital period (bottom). Adapted from Joshi et al. (2011)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox ICRS
Constellation Pyxis
Right ascension 08h 33m 05.7636s
Declination −22° 48′ 31.981″
Apparent magnitude (V) 16.2 - 17.74
Characteristics
Spectral type white dwarf + M2
Variable type Intermediate polar
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: −4.627 mas/yr
Dec.: 1.378 mas/yr
Parallax (π)0.5991±0.0851 mas
Distance1530 pc
Details
White dwarf
Mass1.4 M☉
Other designations
1E 0830.9-2238
Database references
SIMBADdata

WX Pyxidis is a cataclysmic variable star system in the constellation Pyxis. Its X-ray emissions were discovered in 1984, after which a visual correlate was searched for. It is classed as an intermediate polar system, composed of a white dwarf and red dwarf with a calculated spectral type of M2V in close orbit around each other and the spin of the degenerate star is such that it does not present the same face to the other star. The degenerate star spins on its axis every 25 minutes. The stars are estimated to take 5.3 hours to orbit each other and the system is 1530 parsecs distant.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Joshi, V.H.; Ashok, N.M.; Banerjee, D.P.K. (2011). "A study of the near-infrared modulation at spin and orbital periods in the intermediate polar WX Pyx". Bulletin of the Astromical Society of India. 39: 259–75. arXiv:1105.3619. Bibcode:2011BASI...39..259J.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 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. ↑ Samus, N. N.; Kazarovets, E. V.; et al. (2017). "General Catalogue of Variable Stars". Astronomy Reports. 61 (1) (5.1 ed.): 80–88. Bibcode:2017ARep...61...80S. doi:10.1134/S1063772917010085. S2CID 125853869. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  4. ↑ Evans, P. A.; Hellier, Coel (2007). "Why do Some Intermediate Polars Show Soft X‐Ray Emission? A Survey of XMM‐Newton Spectra". The Astrophysical Journal. 663 (2): 1277–1284. arXiv:0704.1388. Bibcode:2007ApJ...663.1277E. doi:10.1086/518552. S2CID 16541440.
  5. ↑ "V* WX Pyx". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Schlegel, E. M. (2005). "A serendipitous XMM-Newton observation of the intermediate polar WX Pyx". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 433 (2): 635–39. arXiv:astro-ph/0412431. Bibcode:2005A&A...433..635S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20042314. S2CID 261160.