Editing Lambda Scorpii (section)

==Properties==
[[File:LambdaScoLightCurve.png|thumb|left|A [[light curve]] for Lambda Scorpii, plotted from ''[[Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite|TESS]]'' data.<ref name=MAST/> The large dips in brightness are eclipses, and the rapid oscillations show the Beta Cephei variability.]]
Lambda Scorpii is located some 570 [[light-year]]s away from the [[Sun]].

Spectroscopic and [[astronomical interferometer|interferometric]] observations have shown that it is actually a triple [[star system]] consisting of two [[stellar classification|B-type]] stars and a [[pre-main-sequence star]].<ref name=handler/> The primary star is a [[Beta Cephei variable]] star with rapid brightness changes of about a hundredth of a magnitude.<ref name=variability/><ref name=tango/> The pre-main-sequence star has an orbital period of 6 days and the B companion has a period of 1053 days. The three stars lie in the same orbital [[Plane (geometry)|plane]], strongly suggesting that they were formed at the same time. The masses of the primary, pre-main-sequence star and the B companion are 14.5, 2.0 and 10.6 [[solar mass]]es, respectively. The age of the system is estimated to be in the range 10–13 million years.

A 15th-[[apparent magnitude|magnitude]] star has a separation of 42 [[Minute and second of arc|arcseconds]], whereas a 12th-magnitude star is 95 arcseconds away. It is not known whether or not these components are physically associated with Lambda Scorpii. If they both were, the first would have a projected linear separation of approximately 7,500 [[astronomical unit]]s (AU) and the second approximately 17,000 AU (0.27 light-years) away.  [[Gaia Data Release 3]] reports that the fainter of these two stars is a little larger and brighter than the sun and about 420 light years away,<ref name=dr3-1>{{cite Gaia DR3|5962581880247644288}}</ref> while the brighter star is a luminous background object.<ref name=dr3-2>{{cite Gaia DR3|5962570094857321472}}</ref>