Alpha Cancri
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| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation (pronunciation) |
Cancer |
| Right ascension | 08h58m29.2s |
| Declination | +11°51′28″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +4.26 |
| Distance | 174 ± 9 ly (53 ± 3 pc) |
| Spectral type | A5m |
| Other designations | |
Alpha Cancri (α Cnc / α Cancri) is a star system in the constellation Cancer. It also has the traditional name Acubens, derived from an Arabic word that means "the claw", as in the claw of Cancer (e.g. the Crab). It is approximately 174 light years from Earth.
The primary component, α Cancri A, is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +4.26. Its companion, α Cancri B, is an eleventh magnitude star located 11 arcseconds away.
Since it is near the ecliptic, it can be occulted by the Moon and very rarely by planets. From studying its light curve during occultation, it is thought that α Cancri A may itself be a close binary, consisting of two stars with similar brightness and a separation of 0.1 arcseconds.
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