Hundreds of supergiant stars have been discovered in the Andromeda and Triangle galaxy
Astronomers at Peking University, using the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), have discovered about 300 supergiant candidates in the Andromeda and Triangle galaxies. The study is published on the arXiv preprint server.
Supergiants are massive evolved stars with significant brightness and size compared to main-sequence stars. Studying these objects helps to better understand the processes of stellar evolution, but their observations are complicated by their remoteness and location in complex environments such as dense interstellar clouds and double star systems.
To identify candidates, the team of scientists analysed data from the tenth edition of the LAMOST Astronomical Survey (DR10), which systematically identified stars in the Andromeda (Messier 31) and Triangle (Messier 33) galaxies. The application of two independent selection criteria ensured high reliability of the results, especially for the Andromeda galaxy.
The analysis identified 199 supergiants in the Andromeda galaxy and 84 in the Triangle galaxy. About 84 per cent of the candidates in Andromeda passed both selection criteria, confirming the high probability that they are true supergiants. In the Triangle Galaxy, the confidence level was about 67 per cent.
Among the stars in Andromeda, the team identified 134 yellow supergiants (YSGs), 62 blue supergiants (BSGs) and three red supergiants (RSGs). In the Triangle, scientists found 53 YSGs, 28 BSGs and three RSGs. The most massive star turned out to be a supergiant in Andromeda, designated as LAMOST J0043+4124, with a mass exceeding 40 solar masses.
In their study, the authors emphasised the significance of the data collected. They represent one of the largest catalogues of M31 and M33 supergiants, covering the entire optical wavelength range and serving as an important resource for studying star formation and stellar evolution in different environments.
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