Alpha Pyxidis
 Location of α Pyxidis (circled) |
|
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pyxis |
| Right ascension | 08h 43m 35.53756s |
| Declination | –33° 11′ 10.9898″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 3.67 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | B1.5III |
| U−B color index | –0.84 |
| B−V color index | –0.19 |
| Variable type | Beta Cephei |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +15.3 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) |
RA: –14.27 mas/yr Dec.: +10.43 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 3.71 ± 0.14mas |
| Distance | 880 ± 30 ly (270 ± 10 pc) |
| Details | |
| Mass | 10.7 M☉ |
| Radius | 6.3 ± 1.0 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 10,000 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 3.63 cgs |
| Temperature | 24,300 K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | -0.18 dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 11 km/s |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Alpha Pyxidis (Alpha Pyx, α Pyxidis, α Pyx) is a giant star in the constellation Pyxis. It has a stellar classification of B1.5III and is a Beta Cephei variable. This star has more than ten times the mass of the Sun and is more than six times the Sun's radius. The surface temperature is 24,300 K and the star is about 10,000 times as luminous as the Sun. Stars such as this with more than 10 solar masses are expected to end their life by exploding as a supernova.
In Chinese, 天狗 (Tiān Gǒu), meaning Celestial Dog, refers to an asterism consisting of α Pyxidis, e Velorum, f Velorum, β Pyxidis, γ Pyxidis and δ Pyxidis. Consequently, α Pyxidis itself is known as 天狗五 (Tiān Gǒu wǔ, English: the Fifth Star of Celestial Dog.)
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