astronomy

HD 130144

HD 130144 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 130144 rather than just read about it. In short: HD 130144 is a variable star in the northern constellation of Boötes. It has the variable star designation EK Boötis (or EK Boo), while HD 130144 is the designation from the Henry Draper Catalogue.

Key takeaways

HD 130144 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 130144 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of HD 130144 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

HD 130144 is a variable star in the northern constellation of Boötes. It has the variable star designation EK Boötis (or EK Boo), while HD 130144 is the designation from the Henry Draper Catalogue. The star is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude that ranges from 5.33 down to 5.71. Parallax measurements provide a distance estimate of approximately 810 light years from the Sun. It is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −23 km/s. The brightness of HD 130144 was discovered to be variable when the Hipparcos satellite data was analyzed. It was given its variable star designation in 1999. This is an aging red giant star with a stellar classification of M5III. It has an estimated 3.1 times the mass of the Sun and has expanded to around 210 times the Sun's radius. EK Boo is classified as a slow irregular variable that ranges in luminosity with an amplitude of 0.38 in magnitude and no apparent periodicity. This is an X-ray source, and was possibly the first M-type giant star to have a magnetic field directly detected. The strength of the field ranges from –0.1 to 8 G. HD 130144 has a high rotation rate for a star of this class, which may be the result of dredge-up of angular momentum from the interior, or else a merger with an orbiting companion. A long-term trend in the radial velocity data suggests this star has an orbiting companion. Most likely this is an active red dwarf that is responsible for most of the X-ray emission from the system. There is nearby visual companion at an angular separation of 0.20″ along a position angle of 82.2° (as of 2010).

References

External links HR 5512 Image HD 130144

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with HD 130144

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what HD 130144 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 130144 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 130144 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 130144

In research: HD 130144 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 130144 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 130144 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Binary stars, Boötes, Bright Star Catalogue objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for HD 130144 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 130144 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what HD 130144 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 HD 130144 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is HD 130144 in simple terms?

HD 130144 is a variable star in the northern constellation of Boötes. It has the variable star designation EK Boötis (or EK Boo), while HD 130144 is the designation from the Henry Draper Catalogue.

Why does HD 130144 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 130144?

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 130144.