On the Mass and Evolutionary Status of the Bright Red AGB Supergiant α1 Herculis
Abstract
The mass of the bright M5 supergiant α1 Herculis has been estimated in a number of studies to range over wide limits of 1.7 to 15 M⊙. Here, we address this wide range of mass assessments by constraining the age, mass and nature of this interesting variable star from three independent approaches: (1) isochronal fitting of the three stars in the α Her multiple star system, (2) extending asteroseismic mass and radius scaling to semi-regular variable stars like α1 Her, and (3) directly from assessments of log g and interferometric radius measures. Our study indicates that α1 Her is an intermediate-mass AGB star with a mass of ∼2.5 M⊙ and age of ∼1.2 Gyr.
- Publication:
-
Why Galaxies Care about AGB Stars II: Shining Examples and Common Inhabitants
- Pub Date:
- September 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011ASPC..445..163M