Beta Fornacis

β Fornacis
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Fornax
Right ascension 02h 49m 05.41890s[1]
Declination −32° 24′ 21.2320″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 4.46[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type G8 III[3]
U−B color index +0.69[2]
B−V color index +0.99[2]
R−I color index +0.54
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)+17.56±0.12[1] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +86.023 mas/yr[1]
Dec.: +159.404 mas/yr[1]
Parallax (π)18.4596 ± 0.1024 mas[1]
Distance176.7 ± 1.0 ly
(54.2 ± 0.3 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)0.894[4]
Details[5]
Mass1.33±0.01 M☉
Radius10.45±0.07 R☉
Luminosity51.3±0.7 L☉
Surface gravity (log g)2.67±0.10 cgs
Temperature4,790±50 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]−0.34±0.10 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)2.19[6] km/s
Age3.27±0.02 Gyr
Other designations
β For, CD−32° 1025, FK5 101, HD 17652, HIP 13147, HR 841, NLTT 9066, SAO 193931, WDS 02491-3224A.[7]
Database references
SIMBADdata

Beta Fornacis (Beta For, β Fornacis, β For) is solitary[8] star in the southern constellation of Fornax. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.46.[2] Based upon an annual parallax shift of 18.46 mas,[1] it is located around 177 light years away from the Sun. At that distance, the visual magnitude is reduced by an interstellar extinction factor of 0.1.[6]

This is an evolved, G-type giant star with a stellar classification of G8 III.[3] It is a red clump giant, which means it has undergone helium flash and is currently generating energy through the fusion of helium at its core.[9][4] Beta Fornacis has 1.33 times the mass of the Sun and, at an age of 3.3 billion years, has expanded to 10.5 times the Sun's radius. It is radiating 51 times the solar luminosity from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 4,790 K.[5]

Beta Fornacis has a visual companion, CCDM J02491-3224B, which has an apparent visual magnitude of approximately 14.0. As of 1928, it lay at an angular separation of 4.80 arc seconds along a position angle of 67°.[10] Located around three degrees to the southwest is the globular cluster NGC 1049.[11]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Johnson1999 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference houk1979 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Liu2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Gallenne2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Jones2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference SIMBAD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eggleton2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kubiak2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mason2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Plotner2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).