υ Sgr is a binary system with an orbital period of 137.939 days and is approximately 1,800 light years from Earth. The primary star dominates the visible radiation and spectrum, but the secondary is hotter and more massive. Some sources consider the "invisible" component to be the primary on the basis of its mass.[8] There is also a disc of material being stripped from the primary and transferring material to the secondary, but no eclipses[9]
The system is classified as a single-lined spectroscopic binary, but high excitation lines from the secondary can be detected in the ultraviolet.[10] Radial velocity variations were discovered in 1899,[13] The first orbit was calculated in 1914, reasonably close to modern understanding of the system.[14] Analysis of optical interferometry finds the two stars to be separated by 1.3 mas and have a difference in brightness of about 3.5 magnitudes.[7]
The primary component appears as an A typesupergiant, although published spectral types vary from F2p to B5II.[8] Contrasting components in the spectrum may originate from disc material, polar jets, or the star itself. The low mass and unusual chemical composition are also thought to produce misleading spectral calibrations, with the star not as massive or as luminous as the Ia luminosity class would suggest.[3]
The visible component is a helium star, almost entirely deficient of hydrogen.[15] It has also been described as a neon star, due to the very high relative levels of that element.[16] It has been stripped of its outer hydrogen layers after it expanded away from the main sequence.[15] It is thought to have originated as a main sequence star with around 8 M☉, expanded when it exhausted its core hydrogen, and now only 2.5 M☉ remains, highly inflated and giving the appearance of a supergiant star.[11] Other estimates give higher masses, as much as 5.45 M☉ and 8.56 M☉ at the known inclination of 50°.[8]
The supergiant component is also classified as an PV Telescopii variable, although it was originally catalogued as an eclipsing binary. It shows apparent magnitude fluctuations between +4.51 and +4.65 with a period of approximately 20 days.[5][17]
The companion is more massive than the supergiant primary, but so dim at visible frequencies as to be undetectable, although it can be seen in ultraviolet spectra. It is thought to be a B-type main sequence star accreting mass from the primary.[8]
^ abcDucati, J. R. (2002). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: Catalogue of Stellar Photometry in Johnson's 11-color system". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues. 2237. Bibcode:2002yCat.2237....0D.
^ abSamus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
^Wilson, Ralph Elmer (1953). "General catalogue of stellar radial velocities". Washington. Bibcode:1953GCRV..C......0W.
^ abcDudley, R. E.; Jeffery, C. S. (1990). "The Mass Ratio of Upsilon-Sagittarii from Ultraviolet Radial Velocities". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 247: 400. Bibcode:1990MNRAS.247..400D.
^ abLeushin, V. V.; Snezhko, L. I.; Chuvenkov, V. V. (1998). "History of the chemical evolution of the primary component of the binary system υ Sagittarius". Astronomy Letters. 24 (1): 39. Bibcode:1998AstL...24...39L.
^Leushin, V. V. (2000). "The primary component of υ Sagittarius is a neon star". Bulletin of the Special Astrophysical Observatory. Russian Academy of Sciences. 50: 60. Bibcode:2000BSAO...50...60L.
^Jeffery, C. Simon (2008). "Variable Star Designations for Extreme Helium Stars". Information Bulletin on Variable Stars. 5817: 1. Bibcode:2008IBVS.5817....1J.