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astronomy

HD 104237

HD 104237 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 HD 104237 rather than just read about it. In short: HD 104237 is a candidate multiple star system in the southern constellation of Chamaeleon. It has the variable star designation DX Chamaeleontis, abbreviated DX Cha; HD 104237 is the stellar designation from the Henry Draper Catalogue.

HD 104237 — main illustration
HD 104237 — illustration

Key takeaways

  • HD 104237 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect HD 104237 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of HD 104237 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

HD 104237 is a candidate multiple star system in the southern constellation of Chamaeleon. It has the variable star designation DX Chamaeleontis, abbreviated DX Cha; HD 104237 is the stellar designation from the Henry Draper Catalogue. The system is dimly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude that ranges from 6.59 down to 6.70. It is located at a distance of approximately 348 light-years from the Sun based on parallax measurements. The system is positioned just 2′ to the north-east of the 5th magnitude star Epsilon Chamaeleontis, and is a member of the ε Cha association of co-moving stars. N. Houk and A. P. Cowley found a stellar classification of 'B/A peculiar' for this object in 1975. The following year, K. G. Nehize catalogued it as a star displaying emission lines. In 1988, J. Y. Hu and associates found it to be a candidate Herbig Ae/Be star. This is a class of pre-main sequence stars that recently formed from a molecular cloud. In particular, the star displays an infrared excess associated with a dusty circumstellar shell, and its spectrum closely resembles other Herbig Ae/Be stars such as AB Aurigae and HR 5999. No characteristic molecular cloud was detected nearby, although there are small molecular clumps in the vicinity that may be the remains of a dissipating cloud. This is the optically brightest Herbig star known, making it a useful object for investigation. Delta scuti-like pulsations have been detected with frequencies of 33.29 and 36.61 cycles per day. Analysis of the Hipparcos data showed that the star's brightness is variable. It is an X-ray source with a luminosity of 2.69×1030 erg·sec−1, which may originate in a hot corona. DX Cha displays an ultraviolet excess, which indicates the star is still accreting matter at a rate of ≈ 10−8 M☉·yr−1. This inflow is generating a pair of jets emerging from the poles of the star. The circumstellar disk is being viewed from nearly edge on. Infrared observations in 1996 showed evidence of an infrared source located at an angular separation of 1″, now designated component B. In 2003, optical observations combined with the Chandra X-ray Observatory indicated that five low mass, pre-main sequence objects lie within 5″, equivalent to a projected distance of 1,500 AU from the primary, component A. At least two of these are T Tauri stars. It is uncertain whether all of the nearby companions form a gravitationally bound system with the primary. The close A/B pair display radial velocity variation that indicate this is a double-lined spectroscopic binary with a K-type secondary.

References

Further reading

Illustrations

HD 104237 illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with HD 104237

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what HD 104237 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 HD 104237 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 HD 104237 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 HD 104237

In research
HD 104237 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 HD 104237 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
HD 104237 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics A-type pre-main-sequence stars, Binary stars, Chamaeleon, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for HD 104237 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 HD 104237 in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what HD 104237 means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain HD 104237 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is HD 104237 in simple terms?

HD 104237 is a candidate multiple star system in the southern constellation of Chamaeleon. It has the variable star designation DX Chamaeleontis, abbreviated DX Cha; HD 104237 is the stellar designation from the Henry Draper Catalogue.

Why does HD 104237 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 HD 104237?

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 HD 104237.

Tags

  • A-type pre-main-sequence stars
  • Binary stars
  • Chamaeleon
  • Circumstellar disks
  • Delta Scuti variables
  • Durchmusterung objects
  • Henry Draper Catalogue objects
  • Herbig Ae/Be stars
  • Hipparcos objects
  • Objects with variable star designations
  • Spectroscopic binaries
  • T Tauri stars

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