Abstract
THE eclipsing variable LR Cen has been suggested1,2 as a candidate for the optical counterpart of Cen X–33 on the basis of the near coincidence of the position and period of LR Cen with those of Cen X–3. My observations4 and those of Kristian et al.1 show that in March, the time of eclipse of the secondary of LR Cen nearly coincided with that of Cen X–3. Also LR Cen and Cen X–3 both have orbits of low eccentricity; thus, LR Cen and Cen X–3 have similar positions, periods, phases and eccentricities.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Kristian, J., Brucato, R. J., and Westphal, J. A., Astrophys. J. Lett. (in the press).
Shklovsky, J. S., Cherepashchuk, A. M., and Efremov, Y. N., Nature, 236, 448 (1972).
Schreier, E., Levinson, R., Gursky, N., Kellogg, E., Tananbaum, H., and Giacconi, R., Astrophys. J. Lett., 172, L79 (1972).
Peterson, B. A., Nature, 236, 449 (1972).
Uitterdijk, F., Bull. Astron. Insts. Netherlands, 6, 295 (1932).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
PETERSON, B. LR Cen is not Cen X-3. Nature 237, 508 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/237508a0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/237508a0
This article is cited by
-
Celestial binary X-ray sources
Space Science Reviews (1976)
-
X-ray sources in binary systems
Die Naturwissenschaften (1973)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.