astronomy

Omicron Persei

Omicron Persei 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 Omicron Persei rather than just read about it. In short: Omicron Persei (ο Persei, abbreviated Omicron Per, ο Per) is a triple star system in the constellation of Perseus. From parallax measurements taken during the Hipparcos mission it is approximately 1,100 light-years (330 parsecs) from the Sun.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Omicron Persei (ο Persei, abbreviated Omicron Per, ο Per) is a triple star system in the constellation of Perseus. From parallax measurements taken during the Hipparcos mission it is approximately 1,100 light-years (330 parsecs) from the Sun. The system consists of a spectroscopic binary pair designated Omicron Persei A and a third companion Omicron Persei B. A's two components are themselves designated Omicron Persei Aa (officially named Atik , the traditional name of the system) and Ab.

Etymology

ο Persei (Latinised to Omicron Persei) is the system's Bayer designation. The designations of the two constituents as Omicron Persei A and B, and those of A's components - Omicron Persei Aa and Ab - derive from the convention used by the Washington Multiplicity Catalog (WMC) for multiple star systems, and adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It bore the traditional name Atik (also Ati, Al Atik), Arabic for "the shoulder". Some sources attribute the name Atik to the nearby, brighter star Zeta Persei. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems. It approved the name Atik for the component Omicron Persei A on 12 September 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names. In Chinese, 卷舌 (Juǎn Shé), meaning Rolled Tongue, refers to an asterism consisting of Omicron Persei, Nu Persei, Epsilon Persei, Xi Persei, Zeta Persei and 40 Persei. Consequently, the Chinese name for Omicron Persei itself is 卷舌五 (Juǎn Shé wu), "the Fifth Star of Rolled Tongue".

Properties

Omicron Persei A is a spectroscopic binary consisting of a spectral type B1 giant and a type B2 dwarf orbiting each other every 4.4 days. The orbit is near-circular although its inclination is not precisely known. The two stars are separated by approximately 33 R☉, the exact value depending on the inclination. The primary is approximately one magnitude brighter than the secondary at visual wavelengths. The binary pair forms a rotating ellipsoidal variable star, which varies in brightness from visual magnitude 3.79 to 3.88 during the orbital period. Omicron Persei lies just north of the open cluster IC 348, but is not catalogued as a member. Both IC 348 and Omicron Persei belong to the Perseus OB2 association.

Culture In the TV series Futurama, the fictional planet Omicron Persei 8 is home to medicinal plants and reptilian extraterrestrials who often attack Earth. The USS Atik, named for Omicron Persei Aa, was a ship of the United States Navy.

References

External links Atik

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Omicron Persei

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Omicron Persei 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 Omicron Persei 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 Omicron Persei 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 Omicron Persei

In research: Omicron Persei 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 Omicron Persei 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: Omicron Persei is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics B-type giants, B-type main-sequence stars, Bayer objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Omicron Persei 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Omicron Persei in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Omicron Persei in simple terms?

Why does Omicron Persei 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 Omicron Persei?

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 Omicron Persei.