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V399 Carinae (V399 Car, P Carinae, P Car, 195 G. Carinae) is a variable star in the 
V399 Carinae has long been suspected to be variable. A 1981 study of yellow supergiants fit observations to a Cepheid-like light curve with a period of 58.8 days, although the luminosity and spectral type do not place the star near the Cepheid instability strip. It was listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars as a possible δ Cep variable. Further observations refined the period to 47.25 days. The
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The origins of the e ...
Carina.
The spectral type of V399 Carinae has been variously assigned between A5 and F0, being a bright, luminous supergiant. Its spectrum is described as having a non-photospheric continuum and silicon absorption line
A spectral line is a dark or bright line in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum, resulting from emission or absorption of light in a narrow frequency range, compared with the nearby frequencies. Spectral lines are often used to iden ...
s, indicative of high mass loss.
V399 Carinae has long been suspected to be variable. A 1981 study of yellow supergiants fit observations to a Cepheid-like light curve with a period of 58.8 days, although the luminosity and spectral type do not place the star near the Cepheid instability strip. It was listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars as a possible δ Cep variable. Further observations refined the period to 47.25 days. The Hipparcos
''Hipparcos'' was a scientific satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in 1989 and operated until 1993. It was the first space experiment devoted to precision astrometry, the accurate measurement of the positions of celestial obj ...
catalogue classified V399 Car as a semiregular variable with a period of 88 days and a mean amplitude of only 0.04 magnitudes. An automated classification from Hipparos photometry suggested it is an α Cygni variable. The observed brightness varies from magnitude +4.63 to +4.72.
V399 Carinae lies amongst the stars of the open cluster IC 2581, by far the brightest member of the cluster. It is about 7,500 light years from Earth assuming it is a member of IC 2581, which is given a 62.9% probability.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:V399 Carinae Carinae, P Carinae, V399 090772 4110 Carina (constellation) Cepheid variables 051192 Gould objects Semiregular variable stars Alpha Cygni variables Durchmusterung objects