Kappa Pyxidis
Star in the constellation Pyxis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kappa Pyxidis, Latinized from κ Pyxidis, is a single,[8] orange-hued star in the southern constellation of Pyxis. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint point of light with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.62.[2] The star is located approximately 520 light years from the Sun based on parallax, but is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −45 km/s[5] and may come as close as 308 light-years in around 2.6 million years. It is moving through space at the rate of 53.7 km/s relative to the Sun and is following an orbit through the Milky Way galaxy with a large eccentricity of 0.68[2]
 | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pyxis |
| Right ascension | 09h 08m 02.88015s[1] |
| Declination | −25° 51′ 30.7331″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 4.62[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | K4III[3] |
| U−B color index | +1.87[4] |
| B−V color index | +1.594±0.004[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | −44.7±2.8[5] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: +34.771[1] mas/yr Dec.: +0.009[1] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 6.3116±0.2408 mas[1] |
| Distance | 520 ± 20 ly (158 ± 6 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | −1.53[2] |
| Details | |
| Radius | 66.70+0.34 −2.34[1] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 927±40[1] L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 1.44±0.22[6] cgs |
| Temperature | 3,931±31[6] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.22±0.08[6] dex |
| Other designations | |
| κ Pyx, CPD−25°4067, GC 12614, HD 78541, HIP 44824, HR 3628, SAO 177002, PPM 255695, CCDM J09080-2552AB, WDS J09080-2552AB[7] | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
This is an aging giant with a stellar classification of K4III,[3] having exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core then expanded and cooled. At present it has 67[1] times the radius of the Sun. It is a variable star of uncertain type, changing brightness with an amplitude of 0.0058 in visual magnitude over a period of 8.5 days.[9] The star radiates 927 times the luminosity of the Sun from its bloated photosphere at an effective temperature of 3,931 K.[6] A magnitude 10 visual companion is located at an angular separation of 2.1 arcseconds.[10]