SCYON Abstract

Received on July 17 2009

The Cepheid Impostor HD 18391 and its Anonymous Parent Cluster

AuthorsDavid G. Turner (1,3,4), V. V. Kovtyukh (2), Daniel J. Majaess (1,3,4), David J. Lane (1,3), and Kathleen E. Moncrieff (1)
Affiliation(1) Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
(2) Astronomical Observatory, Odessa National University, Odessa, Ukraine.
(3) The Abbey-Ridge Observatory, Stillwater Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada.
(4) Visiting Astronomer, Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada.
To appear inAstronomische Nachrichten
Contactturner@ap.smu.ca
URLhttp://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/0907.2904
Links

Abstract

New and existing photometry for the G0 Ia supergiant HD 18391 is analyzed in order to confirm the nature of the variablity previously detected in the star, which lies off the hot edge of the Cepheid instability strip. Small-amplitude variability at a level of ΔV = 0.016+-0.002 is indicated, with a period of P=123.04+-0.06 d. A weaker second signal may be present at P=177.84+-0.18 with ΔV = 0.007+-0.002, likely corresponding to fundamental mode pulsation if the primary signal represents overtone pulsation (123.04/177.84 = 0.69). The star, with a spectroscopic reddening of E(B-V) = 1.02, is associated with heavily-reddened B-type stars in its immediate vicinity that appear to be outlying members of an anonymous young cluster centered ~10 arcmin to the west and 1661+-73 pc distant. The cluster has nuclear and coronal radii of rn=3.5 arcmin and Rc=14 arcmin, respectively, while the parameters for HD 18391 derived from membership in the cluster with its outlying B stars are consistent with those implied by its Cepheid-like pulsation, provided that it follows the semi-period-luminosity relation expected of such objects. Its inferred luminosity as a cluster member is MV=-7.76+-0.10, its age (9+-1)x106 years, and its evolutionary mass ~19 M(sun). HD 18391 is not a classical Cepheid, yet it follows the Cepheid period-luminosity relation closely, much like another Cepheid impostor, V810 Cen.