astronomy

MWC 137

MWC 137 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 MWC 137 rather than just read about it. In short: MWC 137 is a supergiant star in the equatorial constellation of Orion. It has the variable star designation V1308 Ori; MWC 137 is from the Mount Wilson Catalogue published in 1933.

Key takeaways

MWC 137 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MWC 137 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MWC 137 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MWC 137 is a supergiant star in the equatorial constellation of Orion. It has the variable star designation V1308 Ori; MWC 137 is from the Mount Wilson Catalogue published in 1933. The star is located at a distance of about 17.0 ± 4.6 thousand light-years (5.2 ± 1.4 kpc), at the center of the filamentary nebula Sh 2-266.

Properties This is a massive B[e] star that displays radial pulsational variabilities with a dominant period of around 1.9 days. Evolutionary models show it to be near or in its post main sequence stage. The star displays a jet – a large, collaminated outflow, which suggests the presence of an accretion disk. An X-ray source detected by the SWIFT observatory may be associated with MWC 137, which suggests the presence of a neutron star companion. MWC 137 has a stellar classification of sgB[e], where 'sg' indicates it is a supergiant-type B[e] star. The mass is uncertain, but lies in the range of 30 to 70 times the mass of the Sun. In 2021, M. Kraus and associates found a mass estimate of roughly 37 solar masses. It is radiating 690,000 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 28,200 K. This star is located at the center of the filamentary nebula Sh 2-266, which is elliptical in shape and spans an angular size of 80′ × 56′. This has the form of a ring nebula, possibly as the result of stellar winds interacting with the interstellar medium or ejected matter. A bow-shaped feature was discovered in 2021, at a position angle of 225°–245° at an angular separation of 80″ from MWC 137. The star is directly associated with an H II region that spans an angular size of one arcminute.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MWC 137

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MWC 137 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 MWC 137 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 MWC 137 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 MWC 137

In research: MWC 137 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 MWC 137 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: MWC 137 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics B(e) stars, H II regions, Hipparcos objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MWC 137 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 MWC 137 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MWC 137 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 MWC 137 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MWC 137 in simple terms?

MWC 137 is a supergiant star in the equatorial constellation of Orion. It has the variable star designation V1308 Ori; MWC 137 is from the Mount Wilson Catalogue published in 1933.

Why does MWC 137 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 MWC 137?

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 MWC 137.