XX Trianguli

Short description: Star system in the constellation Triangulum

XX Trianguli

250px
Doppler images of a giant starspot on XX Trianguli.

Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation | Triangulum
Right ascension |  02h 03m 47.11380s[1]
Declination | +35° 35′ 28.6692″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) | 8.1 - 8.7[2]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage | red giant branch[3]
Spectral type | K0 III[4]
U−B color index | +0.78[2]
Variable type | RS CVn[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)| −26.35±0.18[5] km/s
Proper motion (μ)|  RA: −53.222[1] mas/yr
Dec.: −14.160[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)| 5.0820 ± 0.0497[1] mas
Distance| 642 ± 6 ly
(197 ± 2 pc)
Orbit
Period (P)| 23.9674±0.0005[6] days
Inclination (i)| 60±10[3]°
Details[6]
Mass| 1.1+0.2
−0.3 M☉
Radius| 8.95±0.23 R☉
Luminosity| 337±2 L☉
Surface gravity (log g)| 2.82±0.05 cgs
Temperature| 4,627±46 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]| −0.13±0.04 dex
Rotation| 23.470–24.716 days
Rotational velocity (v sin i)| 20.0±0.6 km/s
Age| 7.4+2.3
−3.2 Gyr
Other designations

XX Tri, BD+34°363, GJ 3130, HD 12545, HIP 9630, SAO 55233[7]

Database references
SIMBAD| data

XX Trianguli, abbreviated XX Tri, is a variable star in the northern constellation of Triangulum, about 1.5° to the WNW of Beta Trianguli along the constellation border with Andromeda.[8] It is classified as a RS Canum Venaticorum variable and ranges in brightness from magnitude 8.1 down to 8.7,[2] which is too faint to be visible to the naked eye. The system is located at a distance of approximately 642 light years from the Sun based on parallax,[1] but is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −26 km/s.[5]

A visual band light curve for XX Trianguli, adapted from Strassmeier (1999)[9]

The variability of the star's brightness was probably first noticed in 1985 by Brian Skiff at Lowell Observatory.[2] It was given its variable star designation, XX Trianguli, in 1993.[10] This is a single-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 23.96924 days.[4] The visible component is an orange-hued K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K0 III,[4] indicating it has exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core then cooled and expanded off the main sequence. It is around eight billion years old with 26% more mass than the Sun and has expanded to 11 times the Sun's radius. It is radiating roughly 30 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,620 K.[3]

The star is "covered with large high-latitude and even polar spots and with occasional small equatorial spots".[3] XX Tri is notable for having a huge starspot larger than the diameter of the Sun, discovered using Doppler imaging.[11] For its size, the star has a rapid rotation rate of about 24 days. It has a weak, Sun-like differential rotation. The star appears to show a magnetic activity cycle of 26±6 years, although only a single cycle has been observed as of 2015.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Brown, A. G. A. (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics 616: A1. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Bibcode: 2018A&A...616A...1G. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 K. G., Strassmeier; K., Olah (June 1992). "On the starspot temperature of HD 12545". Astronomy and Astrophysics (SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System) 259 (2): 595–599. ISSN 0004-6361. Bibcode: 1992A&A...259..595S.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Künstler, A. et al. (June 2015). "Spot evolution on the red giant star XX Triangulum. A starspot-decay analysis based on time-series Doppler imaging". Astronomy & Astrophysics 578: 25. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201525687. A101. Bibcode: 2015A&A...578A.101K.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jetsu, L. et al. (April 2017). "General Model for Light Curves of Chromospherically Active Binary Stars". The Astrophysical Journal 838 (2): 20. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa65cb. 122. Bibcode: 2017ApJ...838..122J.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Karataș, Yüksel; Bilir, Selçuk; Eker, Zeki; Demircan, Osman; Liebert, James; Hawley, Suzanne L.; Fraser, Oliver J.; Covey, Kevin R. et al. (2004). "Kinematics of chromospherically active binaries and evidence of an orbital period decrease in binary evolution". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 349 (3): 1069–1092. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07588.x. Bibcode: 2004MNRAS.349.1069K.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kővári, Zs; Strassmeier, K. G.; Oláh, K.; Seli, B.; Henry, G. W.; Vida, K. (2025-07-23). "Four decades of photometry of XX Trianguli, 'the most spotted star' in the sky". Astronomy and Astrophysics 701: A103. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202555542. Bibcode: 2025A&A...701A.103K.
7. ↑ "XX Tri". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=XX+Tri.
8. ↑ Sinnott, Roger W.; Perryman, Michael A. C. (1997). Millennium Star Atlas. 1. Sky Publishing Corporation and the European Space Agency. p. 123. ISBN 0-933346-84-0.
9. ↑ Strassmeier, K. G. (July 1999). "Doppler imaging of stellar surface structure. XI. The super starspots on the K0 giant HD 12545: larger than the entire Sun". Astronomy and Astrophysics 347: 225–234. Bibcode: 1999A&A...347..225S. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999A&A...347..225S. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
10. ↑ Kazarovets, E. V.; Samus, N. N.; Goranskij, V. P. (February 1993). "The 71st Name-List of Variable Stars". Information Bulletin on Variable Stars 3840: 1–27. Bibcode: 1993IBVS.3840....1K. https://ibvs.konkoly.hu/pub/ibvs/3801/3840.pdf. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
11. ↑ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds (2 November 2003). "A Giant Starspot on HD 12545". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031102.html.

* v
* t
* e

Stars of Triangulum

Bayer|

* α (Mothallah)
* β
* γ
* δ
* ε
* ι

Flamsteed|

* 1
* 5
* 7
* 10
* 11
* 12
* 13
* 14
* 15

Variable|

* R
* V
* X
* RV
* RW
* XX
* AI

HR|

* 438
* 485
* 490
* 503
* 523
* 564
* 726
* 738
* 757
* 761

HD|

* 9446
* 13189
* 13747

Other|

* M33 X-7
* Romano's Star
* Var 2
* Var 19
* Var 83
* Var A
* Var B
* Var C
* WASP-56
* LSPM J0207+3331

* List

Coordinates:  02h 03m 47s, 35° 35′ 28″

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XX Trianguli. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Astronomy:XX_Trianguli&oldid=4214450"
*[RA:]: Right Ascension
*[Dec.:]: Declination
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template