Although it appears quite close to the open clusterNGC 2301 it is much farther away and is not a member of the cluster. It is at least 2,900 parsecs away, more than twice the distance of NGC 2301.[5]
HD 50064 shows small-amplitude semi-regular pulsations. One strong period of 37 days has been interpreted as a strange mode oscillation and used to calculate the physical structure of the star. A luminosity of approximately 1,260,000 times that of the Sun -placing it among the brightest stars of the Milky Way-, a radius 200 times that of the Sun, and a mass 45 times larguer than the Sun, are derived. The pulsations and its spectrum are similar to those of Luminous blue variables (LBVs). The moderate mass loss suggests that it is an LBV caught pulsating and creating a circumstellar shell.[1]
References
^ abcdefghiAerts, C.; Lefever, K.; Baglin, A.; Degroote, P.; Oreiro, R.; Vučković, M.; Smolders, K.; Acke, B.; Verhoelst, T.; Desmet, M.; Godart, M.; Noels, A.; Dupret, M.-A.; Auvergne, M.; Baudin, F.; Catala, C.; Michel, E.; Samadi, R. (April 2010). "Periodic mass-loss episodes due to an oscillation mode with variable amplitude in the hot supergiant HD 50064". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 513: L11. arXiv:1003.5551. Bibcode:2010A&A...513L..11A. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201014124. S2CID41541073.
^Kohoutek, L.; Wehmeyer, R. (1997). "Catalogue of stars in the Northern Milky Way having H-alpha in emission". Abhandlungen aus der Hamburger Sternwarte. 11: 1. Bibcode:1997AAHam..11.....K.
^ abDucati, J. R. (2002). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: Catalogue of Stellar Photometry in Johnson's 11-color system". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues. 2237: 0. Bibcode:2002yCat.2237....0D.