HD 160342
Star in the constellation Ara
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HD 160342 is a star in the southern constellation of Ara. HD 160342 is its Henry Draper Catalogue designation. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 6.35,[10] making it very faintly visible to the naked eye under ideal observing conditions. Based upon parallax measurements, is approximately 960 light-years (293 parsecs) distant from Earth.
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox ICRS | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ara |
| Right ascension | 17h 42m 03.62014s[2] |
| Declination | −50° 30′ 38.5331″[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.23 - 6.46[3] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | M3 III[4] |
| U−B color index | +1.96[5] |
| B−V color index | +1.73[5] |
| R−I color index | 0.85 |
| Variable type | LB[3] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | −27.1±0.4[6] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: +3.096[2] mas/yr Dec.: −15.788[2] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 3.4132±0.0864 mas[2] |
| Distance | 960 ± 20 ly (293 ± 7 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | −0.45[7] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 1.1[8] M☉ |
| Radius | 95[9] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 2,002[2] L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 0.48[8] cgs |
| Temperature | 3,479[8] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.05[8] dex |
| Other designations | |
| CD−50°11474, HD 160342, HIP 86628, HR 6576, SAO 244954, V626 Arae.[5] | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
In 1971, P. M. Corben announced that HD 160342 is a variable star, a discovery made using a telescope equipped with a photoelectric photometer at the Royal Observatory in South Africa.[11] It was given its variable star designation, V626 Arae, in 1973.[12]
With a stellar classification of M3 III,[4] this is an evolved red giant that is on the asymptotic giant branch.[10] It is a variable star that is classified as irregular,[3] although changes in brightness of 0.1127 magnitudes at the rate of 0.37943 cycles per day (once every 2.6 days) have been detected in Hipparcos photometry.[13]