The optical spectrum of SS 433

Abstract
SS 433 has a continuum spectrum, luminosity and surface gravity suggesting that it is an early O-type star suffering interstellar absorption of AV ∼ 8 mag. The rest emission lines appear to be a complex arising from a narrow system which we propose is fixed to the primary object (type O5f) in a binary star and a broad system presumably representing mass loss. The moving features seem to arise from discrete ‘bullets’ symmetrically shot out in two opposite jets at 0.25 c, in accord with earlier models. The bullets arise from a common source, i.e. the compact object in the system. The lifetime of bullets is up to 10 days, but may be very much less, so that the length of the jets may reach ∼ 5 × 1010 km.

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