B-type giant star in the constellation Pyxis From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alpha Pyxidis, Latinised from α Pyxidis, is a giant star in the constellation Pyxis. It is the brightest star in Pyxis, and is easily visible to the naked eye. 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.[3][4][8] Stars such as this with more than 10 solar masses are expected to end their life by exploding as a supernova.[11]
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pyxis |
| Right ascension | 08h 43m 35.53756s[1] |
| Declination | −33° 11′ 10.9898″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 3.67[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | B1.5III[3] |
| U−B color index | −0.84[2] |
| B−V color index | −0.19[2] |
| Variable type | Beta Cephei[4] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +15.3[5] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −14.27[1] mas/yr Dec.: +10.43[1] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 3.71 ± 0.14 mas[1] |
| Distance | 880 ± 30 ly (270 ± 10 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | −3.47[6] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 10.7[4] M☉ |
| Radius | 6.3 ± 1.0[7] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 10,000[4] L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 3.63[8] cgs |
| Temperature | 24,300[8] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.18[8] dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 11[9] km/s |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
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).[13]
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