AF Leporis

AF Leporis
Location of AF Leporis (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Lepus
Right ascension 05h 27m 04.76333s[1]
Declination −11° 54′ 03.4660″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 6.26 - 6.35[2]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage Main sequence
Spectral type F8V(n)k:[3]
Apparent magnitude (B) 6.832±0.015[4]
Apparent magnitude (V) 6.295±0.010[4]
Apparent magnitude (G) 6.209±0.003[1]
Apparent magnitude (J) 5.268±0.027[4]
Apparent magnitude (H) 5.087±0.026[4]
Apparent magnitude (K) 4.926±0.021[4]
Variable type RS CVn[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)21.10±0.37[1] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: 16.915 mas/yr[1]
Dec.: −49.318 mas/yr[1]
Parallax (π)37.2539 ± 0.0195 mas[1]
Distance87.55 ± 0.05 ly
(26.84 ± 0.01 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)4.14[5]
Details
Mass1.09±0.06[6] M☉
Radius1.25±0.06[7] R☉
Luminosity (bolometric)1.84±0.01[8] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)4.30±0.05[6] cgs
Temperature6130±60[7] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]+0.19±0.02[7] dex
Rotation0.9660±0.0023 d[9]
Rotational velocity (v sin i)50±5[7] km/s
Age24±3[7] Myr
Other designations
AF Lep, NSV 16310, BD−12 1169, FK5 2409, HD 35850, HIP 25486, HR 1817, SAO 150461, PPM 215789, TIC 94945758, TYC 5340-1141-1, GCRV 3284, GSC 05340-01141, IRAS 05247-1156[10]
Database references
SIMBADdata

AF Leporis, also known as HD 35850, is a young variable star located 87.5 light-years (26.8 parsecs) away from the Solar System in the constellation of Lepus. With an apparent magnitude of 6.3, it is near the limit of naked eye visibility under ideal conditions. While some studies consider it to be a close spectroscopic binary with a separation of 0.021 AU,[8] other studies show no evidence of binarity, and it is likely that the supposed binarity is an artifact resulting from the presence of starspots.[9][4] AF Leporis is a member of the Beta Pictoris moving group, with an astronomically young age of about 24 million years. It hosts a circumstellar disk and one known exoplanet.[7]

A light curve for AF Leporis, plotted from TESS data[11]

The stellar classification of AF Leporis is F8V(n)k:,[3] matching an F-type main-sequence star that is generating energy through hydrogen fusion at its core. (The 'n' indicates "nebulous" lines due to spin, while the 'k' means it displays interstellar absorption lines. The ':' suffix is used to note some uncertainty in the classification.) AF Leporis is classified as a RS Canum Venaticorum variable star,[2] which means it has an active surface with large star spots that cause the net luminosity to vary as it rotates.

It is about 24 million years old and is spinning rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of around 50 km/s,[7] giving it a rotation period of less than a day.[9] The star has 9%[6] more mass than the Sun and 1.25[7] times the Sun's radius. The abundance of elements with mass greater than hydrogen – the star's metallicity – is higher than in the Sun. AF Leporis is radiating 1.84[8] times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 6,130 K.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference GaiaDR3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference gcvs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Gray2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference Mesa2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference xhip was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Zhang2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cite error: The named reference Franson2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Pawellek2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Järvinen2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference SIMBAD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference MAST was invoked but never defined (see the help page).