Epsilon Lupi, Latinized from ε Lup, is a multiple star system in the southern constellation of Lupus. At an

apparent visual magnitude Apparent magnitude () is a measure of the brightness of a star or other astronomical object observed from Earth. An object's apparent magnitude depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance from Earth, and any extinction of the object's lig ...

of 3.41, Epsilon Lupi can be readily viewed from the southern hemisphere with sufficiently dark skies. It is the fifth-brightest star or star system in the constellation. Parallax measurements give a distance to this system of roughly . This system is what astronomers term a double-lined spectroscopic binary. When the

spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...

is examined, the absorption line features of both stars can be viewed. As a result of the Doppler effect, these lines shift back and forth in frequency as the two stars orbit around each other. This allows some of their orbital elements to be deduced, even though the individual stars have not been resolved with a telescope. The pair share a close, elliptical orbit with a

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

of 4.55970 days. The orbital eccentricity is 0.277, which means that at the separation at closest approach, or

periapsis An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any elli ...

, is only 57% of the distance at their greatest separation, or

apoapsis An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any elli ...

. There is a third, more distant companion at an angular separation of around 1 arcsecond that may be orbiting the pair with a period of about 64 years. The pair that share the close orbit, Epsilon Lupi Aa and Epsilon Lupi Ab, have estimated masses of 13.24 and 11.46 times the mass of the Sun, respectively. The more distant component, Epsilon Lupi B, has a mass of about 7.64 times the Sun. The combined stellar classification of the system is B2 IV-V, while the individual components may have spectral classes of B3 IV, B3 V, and A5 V, in order of decreasing mass. The inner A-a pair appear to have their rate of spin synchronized with their orbit, so that the same face of each star always faces its partner. The secondary, Epsilon Lupi a, shows regular variation in luminosity of the type that occurs with

Beta Cephei variable Beta Cephei variables, also known as Beta Canis Majoris stars, are variable stars that exhibit small rapid variations in their brightness due to pulsations of the stars' surfaces, thought due to the unusual properties of iron at temperatures of 200, ...

s, at a periodicity of 10.36 cycles per day. This star system is a probable member of the Scorpius–Centaurus association, a

moving group In astronomy, stellar kinematics is the observational study or measurement of the kinematics or motions of stars through space. Stellar kinematics encompasses the measurement of stellar velocities in the Milky Way and its satellites as well a ...

of stars that originated together and share a similar trajectory through space.

References

{{Stars of Lupus Lupi, Epsilon Lupus (constellation) B-type main-sequence stars 075264 5708 136504 Durchmusterung objects Spectroscopic binaries