Name: Mu
Herculis
Catalogue
number: HIP86974
Object
type: Double Star
Bayer: Mu
Flamsteed/other:
86
HIP number:
86974
TYC number:
TYC2085-3062-1
Rises:
Today at 8:28:46
Transit:
Today at 17:23:10
Sets:
Tomorrow at 2:17:34
Mu Herculis
is a main sequence star, a star that burns hydrogen in its core. Every star
spends most of its lifetime as a main sequence star. The properties of a main
sequence star are determined completely by its mass, which can range from 1/20
the mass of the sun up to 50 times the mass of the sun. The more massive a star
is, the hotter and brighter it will be, and the shorter it will live. A star’s
temperature also determines its colour. The hottest stars appear blue. Slightly
cooler stars appear white or yellow, and the coolest stars appear orange or
red. Our sun is slightly hotter and more massive than the average star on the
main sequence. Mu Herculis is one member of a multiple star system. Some
apparent multiple star systems are actually ‘optical doubles’, stars that
appear very close together but are physically separated by a large distance in
space. True multiple stars are gravitationally bound, revolving around a common
centre of mass. Astronomers believe that more than half of the stars in our
galaxy belong to a multiple star system.
