WZ Sagittae (''WZ Sge'') is a cataclysmic

dwarf nova A U Geminorum-type variable star, or dwarf nova (pl. novae) is one of several types of cataclysmic variable star, consisting of a close binary star system in which one of the components is a white dwarf that accretes matter from its companion. Dw ...

star system in the constellation

Sagitta Sagitta is a dim but distinctive constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'arrow', not to be confused with the significantly larger constellation Sagittarius 'the archer'. It was included among the 48 constellations listed by t ...

. It consists of a

white dwarf A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes fro ...

primary being orbited by a low mass companion. The white dwarf is about 0.85

solar mass The solar mass () is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately . It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies and black holes. It is approximately equal to the mass ...

es while the companion is only 0.08 solar masses. This implies that the companion is a spectral class L2 star, although this has yet to be confirmed. The distance to this system has been determined by

parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...

, yielding a distance of 45.1 parsecs. WZ Sagittae is an ultrashort period cataclysmic nova, with outbursts observed in 1913, 1946, 1978 and 2001. During the well-observed 2001 outburst, the nova reached a peak

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 ...

of 8.21. The 1913 event was the brightest of the observed outbursts, reaching a

photographic magnitude Photographic magnitude ( or ) is a measure of the relative brightness of a star or other astronomical object as imaged on a photographic film emulsion with a camera attached to a telescope. An object's apparent photographic magnitude depends on i ...

of 7.0. This nova is classified as a SU Ursae Majoris class star, which is a subclass of dwarf nova that produces what are termed superoutbursts spaced several months apart, interspaced with normal outbursts every few weeks. The normal outbursts typically last 2−3 days, while a superoutburst lasts a few weeks. However, WZ Sagittae is unusual in that it is only observed to emit superbursts. The outbursts of a dwarf nova are caused when matter from a ring-like accretion disk becomes unstable. In this system, the companion star is sufficiently close to the white dwarf that the tidal bulge of the former overlaps the

Roche limit In celestial mechanics, the Roche limit, also called Roche radius, is the distance from a celestial body within which a second celestial body, held together only by its own force of gravity, will disintegrate because the first body's tidal forc ...

, allowing matter to pass across and accumulate onto the disk. When the disk reaches a critical temperature, the gas collapses onto the white dwarf resulting in the release of

gravitational potential energy Gravitational energy or gravitational potential energy is the potential energy a massive object has in relation to another massive object due to gravity. It is the potential energy associated with the gravitational field, which is released (conv ...

. A superoutburst may be caused by a tidal interaction of the accretion disk with the donor star, resulting in a greater deposition of matter on the white dwarf. In the case of WZ Sagittae, however, magnetic effects may act to enhance the deposition, resulting in the lack of normal outbursts. Because of the unique timing differences in the rate of superoutbursts of this nova, it been designated the prototype star for a WZ Sagittae subclass. The orbital period of this system is 1.361 hours. Based upon observations of eclipses of the hot spot on the white dwarf (created by infalling material), the orbital plane of this system is inclined by to the line of sight from the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

References

External links

* AAVSO Variable Star of the Month. WZ Sagittae: September 2001
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* AAVSO
Quick Look View of AAVSO Observations
(get recent magnitude estimates for WZ Sge) {{Stars of Sagitta Dwarf novae Sagitta (constellation) White dwarfs Sagittae, WZ J20073649+1742147