Overview
AB Aurigae, commonly referred to as AB Aur, is a young star located in the constellation Auriga. It is a Herbig Ae/Be star, which means it is a pre-main-sequence star still in the process of formation. It has a stellar classification of A0Ve, matching an A-type main-sequence star with emission lines in the spectrum. AB Aur is notable for its surrounding protoplanetary disk, which has been extensively studied for insights into planet formation.
Characteristics
- Spectral Type: A0pe
- Distance from Earth: Approximately 530 light-years
- Mass: About 2.4 times that of the Sun
- Luminosity: Roughly 47 times that of the Sun
Protoplanetary Disk
AB Aur is surrounded by a prominent protoplanetary disk, which has been observed in various wavelengths, including visible, infrared, and radio. This disk is of particular interest because it shows signs of planet formation. Observations have revealed spiral structures and gaps within the disk.
AB Aur b is the first confirmed directly imaged exoplanet still embedded in the natal gas and dust from which planets form. The protoplanet’s characteristics include a mean radius of about 2.75 times that of Jupiter, a mass of 9–12 Jupiter masses, and a temperature range of 2,000–2,500 K.
The discovery was made using the Subaru Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Recent Discoveries
In recent years, high-resolution imaging from telescopes such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) has provided detailed views of the disk around AB Aur. These observations have identified potential protoplanets within the disk, making AB Aur a key object of study in understanding the early stages of planetary system development.
Further Studies by
Keck:
HST – Hubble Space Telescope:
AB Aur b’s position coincides with the predicted location of a massive protoplanet required to explain CO gas spirals detected with ALMA.
Importance in Astronomy
AB Aur serves as a crucial case for astronomers studying the processes of star and planet formation. It is in relatively close proximity and the clear features of its protoplanetary disk make it an ideal candidate for detailed observation and modeling.
References:
NASA Exoplanet Archive
https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/
Direct Imaging Detection of the Protoplanet AB Aurigae b at Wavelengths Covering Paβ: Rebuttal to Biddle et al. (2024)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.00107
SCExAO/CHARIS Near-Infrared Scattered-Light Imaging and Integral Field Spectropolarimetry of the AB Aurigae Protoplanetary System
Erica Dykes, Thayne Currie, Kellen Lawson, Miles Lucas, Tomoyuki Kudo, Minghan Chen, Olivier Guyon, Tyler D Groff, Julien Lozi, Jeffrey Chilcote, Timothy D. Brandt, Sebastien Vievard, Nour Skaf, Vincent Deo, Mona El Morsy, Danielle Bovie, Taichi Uyama, Carol Grady, Michael Sitko, Jun Hashimoto, Frantz Martinache, Nemanja Jovanovic, Motohide Tamura, N. Jeremy Kasdin
Circular Astronomy 