Alpha Pictoris

α Pictoris
Location of α Pictoris (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Pictor
Right ascension 06h 48m 11.45512s[1]
Declination −61° 56′ 29.0008″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 3.27[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type A8 Vn kA6[3]
U−B color index +0.13[2]
B−V color index +0.21[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)+20.6[4] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: –66.07[1] mas/yr
Dec.: +242.97[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)33.78 ± 1.78 mas[1]
Distance97 ± 5 ly
(30 ± 2 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)0.86[5]
Orbit[6]
Period (P)1,316±2 days
Semi-major axis (a)3.25 AU[a]
Eccentricity (e)0.29±0.02
Inclination (i)121±2°
Longitude of the node (Ω)219±4°
Periastron epoch (T)2456390±13 BJD
Argument of periastron (ω)
(secondary)
353±4°
Details
A
Mass1.6±0.1[6] M
Radius1.6[7] R
Luminosity13[8] L
Surface gravity (log g)3.48[9] cgs
Temperature7530[9] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]–0.11[3] dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)206[10] km/s
Age660[11][12] Myr
B
Mass1.05±0.05[6] M
Temperature5,068±91[6] K
Other designations
CD-61°1478, Gl 248, HD 50241, HIP 32607, HR 2550, LTT 2656, SAO 249647.[13]
Database references
SIMBADdata

Alpha Pictoris (α Pic, α Pictoris) is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Pictor. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 3.27,[2] which is bright enough to be viewed from urban areas in the southern hemisphere. This is actually a binary star system, whose components complete an orbit every three years and seven months.[6] It is close enough for its distance to be measured using parallax shifts, which yields a value of roughly 97 light-years (30 parsecs) from the Sun, with a 5% margin of error.[1] Alpha Pictoris has the distinction of being the south pole star of the planet Mercury.[14]

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  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference moore2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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