“sigma Orionis”, much more than a star

27/01/2015

An international team of astronomers led by the Spanish researchers Sergio Simón-Díaz, SO postdoc of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias(IAC)/Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Jose A. Caballero, of the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA), and Javier Lorenzo, of the University of Alicante, have studied in great detail the multiple star sigma Orionis, which continues to amaze those who observe it. The study, which is published today in the Astrophysical Journal, has allowed the determination of the physical parameters of its most massive component stars with unprecedented precision. Further information: IAC press release.