WR 140

WR 140 is a Wolf-Rayet star that is the binary companion of an O-type star, the two forming a spectroscopic binary. The pair is of interest as a colliding-wind binary, a binary pair between which stellar winds collide producing shock and creating substantial dust. Characteristics of the pair:

• Cygnus - constellation.
• 20h20m27.97608s - right ascension.
• +43deg51m16.2802s - declination.
• +6.85 - apparent magnitude.
• 1720 pc - distance.
• +0.40 - B-V color index.

WR 140 specific characteristics:

• WC7p - spectral type.
• 8.4 - mass(solar).
• 537,000 - luminosity(solar).

The companion, which has spectral type O5, is larger, brighter, and more massive, but interest in the binary is due to the Wolf Rayet star, which gives them a Wolf-Rayet-specific spectral signature.