Nu Eridani

ν Eridani

A light curve for Nu Eridani, plotted from TESS data[1]
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Eridanus
Right ascension 04h 36m 19.141s[2]
Declination −03° 21′ 08.86″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) +3.930±0.023[3]
Characteristics
Spectral type B1.5 IV[4]
U−B color index −0.879±0.007[3]
B−V color index −0.210±0.009[3]
Variable type SPB and Beta Cephei[5]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)14.9[6] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +1.53[2] mas/yr
Dec.: −5.01[2] mas/yr
Parallax (π)4.83 ± 0.19 mas[2]
Distance680 ± 30 ly
(207 ± 8 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−2.84±0.15[4]
Details[4]
Mass9.3±0.3 M☉
Radius6.2±0.5 R☉
Luminosity7,943 L☉
Surface gravity (log g)3.85±0.05 cgs
Temperature22,000±250 K
Rotational velocity (v sin i)26±2 km/s
Other designations
ν Eri, BD−03°834, 48 Eridani, FK5 169, HD 29248, HIP 21444, HR 1463, SAO 131346.[7]
Database references
SIMBADdata

Nu Eridani (ν Eri) is a star in the constellation Eridanus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.93.[3] The distance to this star is roughly 520 light years, based upon an annual parallax shift of 0.00625 arcseconds.[2] If the star were 33 ly (10 pc) from the Sun, it would be the brightest star in the night sky with an apparent magnitude of −2.84.[4] (Currently, the brightest star is Sirius at magnitude −1.46.)

Nu Eridani (bright star) and the galaxies: NGC 1618, NGC 1622 and NGC 1625 (from right to left)

This is a B-type subgiant star with a stellar classification of B1.5 IV.[4] It is a hybrid pulsator variable, lying as it does on the overlapping instability strips for Beta Cephei variables and slowly pulsating B-type stars.[5] The star shows at least fourteen pulsations frequencies, with nine that also display radial velocity variations.[8] It has about nine times the mass of the Sun and six times the Sun's radius. Nu Eridani shines with 7,943 times the solar luminosity from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 22,000 K.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference MAST was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference vanLeeuwen2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Nieva2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference nieva2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Moravveji2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wilson1953 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 DaszynskaDaszkiewicz2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).