WR 22

WR 22

WR 22 in the Carina nebula
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Carina
Right ascension 10h 41m 17.51590s
Declination −59° 40 36.8957
Apparent magnitude (V) 6.42
Characteristics
Spectral type WN7h + O9III-V
Apparent magnitude (U) 5.68
Apparent magnitude (B) 6.50
Apparent magnitude (J) 5.705
Apparent magnitude (H) 5.578
Apparent magnitude (K) 5.389
U−B color index 0.82
B−V color index 0.08
J−H color index 0.127
J−K color index 0.316
Variable type Eclipsing binary
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)28.00 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: 7.321 mas/yr
Dec.: 3.091 mas/yr
Parallax (π)0.3953±0.0348 mas
Distance8,300 ± 700 ly
(2,500 ± 200 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)6.73 + 4.44
Orbit
PrimaryWR
CompanionO
Period (P)80.336 days
Semi-major axis (a)330 R
Eccentricity (e)0.598
Inclination (i)83.5°
Argument of periastron (ω)
(secondary)
268.2°
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)
70.6 km/s
Semi-amplitude (K2)
(secondary)
190.0 km/s
Details
WR
Mass49 - 75 M
Radius22.65 R
Luminosity1,905,000 L
Temperature44,700 K
O
Mass25.7 M
Radius11 R
Luminosity130,000 L
Temperature33,000 K
Age2.2 Myr
Other designations
CD59°3221, HR 4188, HD 92740, V429 Carinae, HIP 52308
Database references
SIMBADdata

WR 22, also known as V429 Carinae or HR 4188, is an eclipsing binary star system in the constellation Carina. The system contains a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star that is one of the most massive and most luminous stars known, and is also a bright X-ray source due to colliding winds with a less massive O class companion. Its eclipsing nature and apparent magnitude make it very useful for constraining the properties of luminous hydrogen-rich WR stars.

In 1978, Anthony Moffat and Wilhelm Seggewiss announced that the star's brightness varies. Eclipses were first detected by Luis A. Balona et al. in 1989. It received its variable star designation, V429 Carinae, in 1980.