WR 31a

WR 31a

WR 31a is surrounded by a blue bubble nebula created by a powerful stellar wind impacting material expelled during earlier stages of the star's life.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Carina
Right ascension 10h 53m 59.5777s
Declination −60° 26 44.361
Apparent magnitude (V) 10.85
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage Wolf–Rayet
Spectral type WN11h
Apparent magnitude (B) 11.64±0.10
Apparent magnitude (V) 10.85±0.08
Apparent magnitude (R) 10.56±0.02
Apparent magnitude (G) 10.033±0.004
Apparent magnitude (J) 7.323±0.024
Apparent magnitude (H) 6.72±0.05
Apparent magnitude (K) 6.097±0.021
Apparent magnitude (g) 11.53±0.32
B−V color index 0.79
V−R color index 0.29
R−I color index 0.5
J−H color index 0.603
J−K color index 1.226
Variable type cLBV
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ) RA: −5.890 mas/yr
Dec.: 2.842 mas/yr
Parallax (π)0.1152±0.0131 mas
Distanceapprox. 28,000 ly
(approx. 8,700 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−6.71
Details
Mass17+7
−4
 M
Radius29.8+11.9
−6.1
 R
Luminosity1,820,000 L
Temperature30,200 (1985–1992) 27,500 (1991) K
Other designations
WR 31a, Hen 3-519, He 3-519, 2MASS J10535958-6026444, GSC 08958-01166, GSC2 S1113013697, UCAC2 5308747, UCAC4 148-066854, IRAS 10520-6010, TYC 8928-1166-1, AAVSO 1050–59, MSX5C G288.9347-00.8046
Database references
SIMBADdata

WR 31a, commonly referred to as Hen 3-519, is a Wolf–Rayet (WR) star in the southern constellation of Carina that is surrounded by an expanding Wolf–Rayet nebula. It is not a classical old stripped-envelope WR star, but a young massive star which still has some hydrogen left in its atmosphere.