Ross 154 facts for kids
Ross 154 (also known as V1216 Sgr) is a small, faint star found in the southern sky. It's part of the constellation called Sagittarius, which looks like a teapot. You can't see Ross 154 with just your eyes because it's too dim.
This star is quite close to Earth, about 9.69 light-years away. To give you an idea, that's almost 60 trillion miles! It's the closest star in the Sagittarius constellation and one of the nearest stars to our own Sun.
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Discovering Ross 154
An American astronomer named Frank Elmore Ross first wrote about this star in 1925. Scientists later found out that Ross 154 is a special kind of star called a flare star. This means it can suddenly get much brighter for a short time.
The first time a flare was seen from Ross 154 was in 1951. During a flare, the star can become 3 to 4 times brighter than normal! These big flares happen about every two days.
What Kind of Star is Ross 154?
Ross 154 is a type of star known as a red dwarf. Red dwarfs are much smaller and cooler than our Sun. This star makes its energy by joining together tiny particles of hydrogen in its center, a process called nuclear fusion.
Here's how Ross 154 compares to our Sun:
- It has only about 17% of the Sun's mass (how much "stuff" it's made of).
- Its radius (size) is about 24% of the Sun's.
- It shines with only 0.38% of the luminosity (brightness) of the Sun.
Scientists think Ross 154 is a young star, probably less than a billion years old. It also has fewer heavy elements (elements heavier than helium) compared to our Sun.
X-Ray Bursts from Ross 154
Ross 154 also gives off X-rays. These X-rays have been detected by special telescopes in space, like the Chandra observatory. When the star has a flare, it can release a huge amount of X-ray energy. One very large X-ray flare from Ross 154 was much more powerful than its usual X-ray output.
Related pages
Images for kids
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This graph shows how the brightness of V1216 Sagittarii (Ross 154) changed over time, based on data from the Kepler telescope.
See also
In Spanish: Ross 154 para niños
