astronomy

Groombridge 34

Groombridge 34 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Groombridge 34 rather than just read about it. In short: Groombridge 34 is a binary star system in the northern constellation of Andromeda. It was listed as entry number 34 in A Catalogue of Circumpolar Stars, published posthumously in 1838 by British astronomer Stephen Groombridge.

Key takeaways

Groombridge 34 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Groombridge 34 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Groombridge 34 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Groombridge 34 is a binary star system in the northern constellation of Andromeda. It was listed as entry number 34 in A Catalogue of Circumpolar Stars, published posthumously in 1838 by British astronomer Stephen Groombridge. Based upon parallax measurements taken by the Gaia spacecraft, the system is located about 11.6 light-years (3.6 parsecs) from the Sun. This positions the pair among the nearest stars to the Solar System. Both components are small, dim red dwarf stars that are too faint to be seen with the naked eye. They orbit around their common barycenter in a fairly eccentric orbit with a separation of about 93 AU and a period of around 1,065 years. Both stars exhibit random variation in luminosity due to flares and they have been given variable star designations: the brighter member Groombridge 34 A is designated GX And, while the smaller component is designated GQ And. The star system has a relatively high proper motion of 2.9 arc seconds per year, and is moving away from the Solar System at a velocity of 11.6 km/s. It achieved perihelion some 15,000 years ago when it came within 11 ly (3.5 pc) of the Sun.

GX Andromedae The more massive and luminous component of the pair has the variable star designation GX Andromedae. It is a main-sequence red dwarf star of spectral type M1.4 that varies its brightness due to stellar flares. Gaia observations suggest a rotation period of 44 days and a magnetic activity cycle of roughly 9 years.

GQ Andromedae The smaller companion bears the variable star name GQ Andromedae. It is a red dwarf main sequence star that undergoes flare events like the primary; it has a spectral type M4.1, so it also has a lower effective temperature.

Planetary system In August 2014, a planet orbiting around Groombridge 34 A was reported. The planet's existence was deduced from analysis of the radial velocities of the parent star by the Eta-Earth Survey using HIRES at Keck Observatory. At the time of its discovery, it was the sixth-nearest-known exoplanet. Using the CARMENES spectrograph combined with the measurements of the HARPS and HIRES spectrographs, researchers failed to detect the purported Groombridge 34 Ab. However, they did propose that another planet (Groombridge 34 Ac, GJ 15 Ac) could be orbiting the parent star. This discrepancy was later reconciled with new HIRES observations, covering a longer span of time, where both planets were recovered, constraining their minimum mass to 3.03 M🜨 for Groombridge 34 Ab and 36 M🜨 for Groombridge Ac. Their orbital periods are 11.4 and approximately 7,600 days, respectively. As of 2018, this system hosts the longest-period known Neptune-mass exoplanet.

See also List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs

References

External links SolStation entry Image Groombridge 34

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Groombridge 34

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Groombridge 34 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Groombridge 34 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Groombridge 34 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Groombridge 34

In research: Groombridge 34 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Groombridge 34 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Groombridge 34 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Andromeda (constellation), Binary stars, Durchmusterung objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Groombridge 34 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Groombridge 34 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Groombridge 34 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Groombridge 34 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Groombridge 34 in simple terms?

Why does Groombridge 34 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Groombridge 34?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Groombridge 34.