Delta Velorum
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Observation data Equinox J2000 |
|
---|---|
Constellation | Vela |
Right ascension | 08h 44m 42.2s |
Declination | −54° 42′ 30″ |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 1.95 (2.03/5.1) |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | A1 V/G0 V |
U-B color index | 0.06 |
B-V color index | 0.04 |
Variable type | Eclipsing binary |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | +2.2 km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: 28.78 mas/yr Dec.: −104.14 mas/yr |
Parallax (π) | 40.90 ± 0.38 mas |
Distance | 79.7 ± 0.7 ly (24.4 ± 0.2 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | −0.01 (0.05/3.51) |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
Delta Velorum (δ Vel / δ Velorum) is a star system in the constellation Vela. It is approximately 79.7 light years from Earth.
The system is composed of two binary stars. The brightest of the four stars, δ Velorum A, is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +2.02. Its binary companion, δ Velorum B, has a magnitude of +5.1 and is separated from the A component by 2.6 arcseconds.
The second binary system is 69 arcseconds away. It is composed of the 11th magnitude δ Velorum C and the 13th magnitude δ Velorum D, which are 6 arcseconds apart.
This star was recently discovered to be variable by the Galileo spaceprobe at Jupiter. [1] It fluctuates by about 30% every 45 days. Curiously, being one of the brighter stars in the sky, this had not been noticed previously.
Because of precession, δ Velorum will be the South Polar Star around 9000 AD.