LSPM J0207+3331
LSPM J0207+3331 is, as of 2019, the oldest and coldest known white dwarf star to host a circumstellar disk, located 145 light-years from Earth.
 Artist's impression Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Right ascension | 02h 07m 33.8059837915s |
| Declination | +33 31 29.534350702 |
| Astrometry | |
| Parallax (π) | 22.44±0.20 mas |
| Distance | 44.5 pc |
| Details | |
| Mass | 0.69 M☉ |
| Temperature | 6120 K |
| Age | 3 Gyr |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
It was discovered in October 2018 by a volunteer participating in the Backyard Worlds citizen science project.[1][2][3]
The star has a circumstellar disk despite being 3 billion years old. The infrared excess in the spectrum is consistent with two rings at different temperatures: an outer colder ring with a temperature of 480 K and an inner ring with a temperature between 550–1400 K. It may be a debris disk created from asteroids broken apart by the star's gravity.
This star has been studied with the Keck telescope and is the object of ongoing research. A paper has been accepted by The Astrophysical Journal Letters.[4]
References
- "The Crystal Ball White Dwarf". Blog.backyardworlds.org. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- "Volunteer Discovers Record-Setting White Dwarf Star". NASA.gov. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- "Citizen Scientists Invited to Join Quest for New Worlds". NOAO. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- Debes, John H.; Thevenot, Melina; Kuchner, Marc; Burgasser, Adam; Schneider, Adam; Meisner, Aaron; Gagne, Jonathan; Faherty, Jaqueline K.; Rees, Jon M.; Allen, Michaela; Caselden, Dan; Cushing, Michael; Wisniewski, John; Allers, Katelyn; The Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Collaboration; The Disk Detective Collaboration (2019). "A 3 Gyr White Dwarf with Warm Dust Discovered via the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Citizen Science Project". arXiv:1902.07073 [astro-ph.SR].