XX Persei

XX Persei (IRC +50052 / HIP 9582 / BD+54°444) is a semiregular variable red supergiant star in the constellation Perseus, between the Double Cluster and the border with Andromeda.

XX Persei

XX Persei (circled) near the Double Cluster and Comet Lovejoy Credit: Juan lacruz
Observation data Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation	Perseus
Right ascension	02h 03m 09.35854s[1]
Declination	55° 13′ 56.6229″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	7.9 - 9.0[2]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage	Red supergiant
Spectral type	M4Ib + B7V[3]
Variable type	SRc[4]
Astrometry
Proper motion (μ)	RA: −1.263[1] mas/yr Dec.: −1.819[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)	0.3980±0.0316 mas[1]
Distance	6,614+1,060 −812 ly (2,029+325 −249 pc)[5]
Absolute magnitude (MV)	−4.6[6]
Details
Mass	16[6] M☉
Radius	718+80 −56[7] R☉
Luminosity	42,000[8] L☉
Temperature	3,339[5] K
Other designations
XX Per, BD+54°444, GSC 03689-01837, HD 12401, HIP 9582, IRC+50052, 2MASS J02030935+5513566, HV 3414, SAO 22875, AAVSO 0156+54
Database references
SIMBAD	data

Variability

A visual band light curve for XX Persei, plotted from ASAS-SN data^[9]

In 1917 it was announced that Ida E. Woods had discovered that this star is a variable star, by examining 520 photographs taken from December 1, 1887 through February 4, 1913.^[10] It was given its variable star designation in 1921.^[11] XX Persei is a semiregular variable star of sub-type SRc, indicating a cool supergiant. The General Catalogue of Variable Stars gives the period as 415 days.^[4] It also shows a long secondary period which was originally given at 4,100 days.^[6] A more recent study shows only slow variations with a period of 3,150 ± 1,000 days.^[2] Another study failed to find any long period up to 10,000 days.^[12]

Distance

The most likely distance of XX Per is 2,290 pc, from assumed membership of the Perseus OB1 association.^[13] Gaia Data Release 3 includes a parallax of 0.3980±0.0316 mas, corresponding to a distance of around 2,500 pc.^[1]

Characteristics

XX Per is a red supergiant of spectral type M4Ib with an effective temperature below 4,000 K. It has a large infrared excess, indicating surrounding dust at a temperature of 900 K, but no masers have been detected.^[14][15]

XX Persei has a mass of 16 solar masses, above the limit beyond which stars end their lives as supernovae.^[6] This makes XX Persei similar to the more well-known red supergiant Antares.^[16]

Companions

XX Persei is listed in multiple star catalogues with a companion of magnitude 9.8 223″ away.^[17] This star is BD+54°445 and it is an unrelated foreground object. In addition, the spectrum of XX Persei shows absorption lines of a hot companion too close to be resolved. The combined spectral type has been given as M4Ib + B7V,^[3] while the UV spectrum of the companion has been used to derive a spectral classification of A.^[18]

See also

• RS Persei
• S Persei