The system consists of a spectroscopic binary, designated Xi Puppis A,[8] together with a third companion star, Xi Puppis B. A's two components are themselves designated Xi Puppis Aa (formally named Azmidi/ˈæzmɪdi/)[9] and Ab.
Nomenclature
ξ Puppis (Latinised to Xi Puppis) is the system's Bayer designation. The designations of the two constituents as Xi Puppis A and B, and those of A's components - Xi Puppis Aa and Ab - derive from the convention used by the Washington Multiplicity Catalog (WMC) for multiple star systems, and adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).[10]
The system was sometimes known as Asmidiske (Azmidiske), a misspelling and misplacement of Aspidiske (from the Greek for 'little shield), the traditional name of Iota Carinae.[11] In 2016, the IAU organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[12] to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems.[13] It approved the name Azmidi for the component Xi Puppis Aa on 1 June 2018 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.[9]
Properties
Because of the distance of this system from the Earth, its visual magnitude is reduced by 0.73 as a result of extinction from the intervening gas and dust.[14]
^ abcdJohnson, H. L.; et al. (1966), "UBVRIJKL photometry of the bright stars", Communications of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, 4 (99): 99, Bibcode:1966CoLPL...4...99J
^Wilson, R. E. (1953). "General Catalogue of Stellar Radial Velocities". Carnegie Institute Washington D.C. Publication. Carnegie Institute of Washington D.C. Bibcode:1953GCRV..C......0W.
^Hessman, F. V.; Dhillon, V. S.; Winget, D. E.; Schreiber, M. R.; Horne, K.; Marsh, T. R.; Guenther, E.; Schwope, A.; Heber, U. (2010). "On the naming convention used for multiple star systems and extrasolar planets". arXiv:1012.0707 [astro-ph.SR].
^Luck, R. E. (May 1, 1982), "The chemical composition of late-type supergiants. IV - Homogeneous abundances and galactic metallicity trends", Astrophysical Journal, Part 1, 256: 177–188, Bibcode:1982ApJ...256..177L, doi:10.1086/159895