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Beta Pyxidis

Beta Pyxidis
Diagram showing star positions and boundaries of the Pyxis constellation and its surroundings
Cercle rouge 100%.svg

Location of β Pyxidis (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Pyxis
Right ascension 08h 40m 06.14363s
Declination –35° 18′ 30.0″
Apparent magnitude (V) 3.954
Characteristics
Spectral type G7Ib-II
U−B color index +0.646
B−V color index +0.935
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv) –13.4 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +9.84 mas/yr
Dec.: –20.80 mas/yr
Parallax (π) 7.84 ± 0.19mas
Distance 420 ± 10 ly
(128 ± 3 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV) –0.78
Details
Radius 28 R
Temperature 5,400 K
Other designations
β Pyxidis, β Pyx, Beta Pyx, CPD−34  2846, FK5 2681, HD 74006, HIP 42515, HR 3438, SAO 199490, WDS J08401-3518A
Database references
SIMBAD data

Beta Pyxidis (Beta Pyx, β Pyxidis, β Pyx) is a double star located in the southern constellation Pyxis. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 3.954, making it the second brightest star in that faint constellation.

Based upon parallax measurements, the star is an estimated 420 light-years (128 parsecs) from the Earth. The spectrum matches a bright giant or supergiant star of stellar classification G7Ib-II. The interferometer-measured angular diameter of this star is 2.05 ± 0.14 mas. At its estimated distance, this yields a physical size of about 28 times the radius of the Sun. The effective temperature of the star's outer envelope is about 5,400 K, giving it the characteristic yellow hue of a G-type star.

In 2010, the star was among a survey of massive, lower effective temperature supergiants in an attempt to detect a magnetic field. This star may have a longitudinal magnetic field with a strength of less than a Gauss. It is a young disk star system with space velocity components, [U, V, W] = [–11.0, +11.8, –2.2] km/s. There is a magnitude 12.5 optical companion, located at an angular separation of 12.7 arcseconds and a position angle of 118° as of the year 1943.


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Wikipedia

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