Zeta Fornacis
Star in the constellation Fornax
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ζ Fornacis (often Latinised as Zeta Fornacis) is the Bayer designation for a star in the southern constellation of Fornax. It is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.67.[2] Based upon a measured annual parallax shift of 29.9 mas,[1] it is located at a distance of about 109 light-years from the Sun. The star is drifting further away with a radial velocity of +29 km/s.[1] Positioned about 1.3° to the southeast of Zeta Fornacis is the galaxy NGC 1232.[7]
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS) | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Fornax |
| Right ascension | 02h 59m 36.18299s[1] |
| Declination | −25° 16′ 26.8853″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 5.67[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | F4 V[3] |
| U−B color index | +0.01[2] |
| B−V color index | +0.39[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +29.09±0.63[1] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: +181.005[1] mas/yr Dec.: +84.641[1] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 29.8975±0.0856 mas[1] |
| Distance | 109.1 ± 0.3 ly (33.45 ± 0.10 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | +3.14[4] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 1.8[5] M☉ |
| Radius | 1.62+0.02 −0.03[1] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 4.77±0.02[1] L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 4.16±0.14[5] cgs |
| Temperature | 6,699+65 −39[1] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | +0.02[3] dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 84.9±4.2[4] km/s |
| Age | 1.5[5] Gyr |
| Other designations | |
| ζ For, CD−25°1191, HD 18692, HIP 13942, HR 901, SAO 168209[6] | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
This is an F-type main-sequence star with a stellar classification of F4 V.[3] With an estimated age of 1.5 billion years, it has 1.8[5] times the mass of the Sun and 1.6[1] times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 4.77 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 6,699 K.[1] It is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 84.9 km/s,[4] and has a near-solar metallicity—what astronomers term the abundance of elements other than hydrogen and helium.[3] This star is a probable member of the Hyades Stream[8]—a group of stars that share a common motion through space with the Hyades cluster.
Zeta Fornacis has a common proper motion companion, NLTT 9563, a magnitude 13.50[9] star with a classification of M 2.5.[10] As of 2004, this companion was positioned at an angular separation of 176.1 arcseconds along a position angle of 288.1°.[9]