HD 128429

HD 128429 is a binary star^[3] system located at a distance of 88^[1] light years from the Sun in the southern zodiac constellation of Libra. It has a yellow-white hue and is just barely visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 6.20.^[5] The system is drifting closer to the Sun with a radial velocity of −66 km/s^[5] and has a high proper motion, traversing the celestial sphere at the rate of 0.945″ per year.^[9] It is a well-known high velocity star^[10] system with a net heliocentric velocity of 158.8 km/s. The system is orbiting the through the galaxy with a high eccentricity of 0.62, which carries it from as close as 4.1 out to 17.5 kpc away from the Galactic Center.^[5]

HD 128429

Observation data Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation	Libra
Right ascension	14h 36m 59.79592s[1]
Declination	−12° 18′ 19.0687″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	6.197±0.005[2]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage	Blue straggler[3]
Spectral type	F6V[4]
B−V color index	0.464±0.011[5]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	−66.1±0.5[5] km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: −868.62[1] mas/yr Dec.: −364.52[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)	37.1800±0.4010 mas[1]
Distance	87.7 ± 0.9 ly (26.9 ± 0.3 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	3.66[5]
Orbit[3]
Companion	Ab
Period (P)	1,086±77 d
Semi-major axis (a)	1.589 AU[6]
Eccentricity (e)	≤ 0.15
Details[2]
Aa
Mass	1.32 M☉
Radius	1.39±0.06 R☉
Luminosity	2.75[7] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)	4.28±0.10 cgs
Temperature	6,341±70 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]	−0.10±0.06 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)	16.2±0.5 km/s
Age	1.7±0.6[3] Gyr 3.10[7] Gyr
Ab
Mass	0.49±0.09 M☉[3] 0.130+0.036 −0.015[6] M☉
Other designations
BD−11°3770, FK5 1381, HD 128429, HIP 71469, HR 5455, SAO 158677, LAL 26630, LHS 2953[8]
Database references
SIMBAD	data

Binary system

This star was found to be a binary system based on variations in radial velocity data collected from the Hipparcos satellite.^[11] The pair have an orbital period of 2.97 ± 0.21 years with photometric data yielding an angular separation of 21.28±2.88 mas.^[3] Observations from the Gaia DR2 provide an estimated linear semimajor axis of 1.589 AU.^[6] The eccentricity of the orbit is unknown, but has been assumed to be near zero.^[3]

The visible member of this system, designated component Aa, has a stellar classification of F6V.^[4] Superficially, it resembles 2–3^[7] billion year old F-type main-sequence star that is generating energy through core hydrogen fusion. However, the star displays anomalies that are a challenge to explain through the normal star formation process. The first is the high velocity orbit of the star through the Milky Way, which would be very difficult for a young population I star to accomplish. The second is an abnormally low iron-to-magnesium [Fe/Mg] abundance ratio. This strongly suggests it is an ancient population II star that was formed during the early starburst phase of the galaxy about 12 billion years ago – a period when high levels of magnesium was released during supernovae explosions of massive stars. Both anomalies can be explained by a mass transfer that converted a much older star into a blue straggler.^[3]

Evidence suggests that the companion, Ab, is a white dwarf star that evolved from an F- or G-type main-sequence star with a similar mass to the current primary. As component Ab became a red giant, it overflowed its Roche lobe and mass transfer took place. The white dwarf now has less than half the mass of the Sun, having transferred a substantial fraction of its mass to the current primary. The interaction would have circularized the orbit of the pair.^[3]

Properties

The current primary has 1.32^[3] times the mass of the Sun and 1.39 times the Sun's radius.^[3] It has a low metallicity and is completely lacking in lithium.^[3] The star is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 16.2 km/s.^[2] It is radiating 2.75^[7] times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 6,341 K.^[2] The system is a source for X-ray emission.^[12]