Gamma Arietis
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| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation (pronunciation) |
Aries |
| Right ascension | 01h 53m 31.8s |
| Declination | +19° 17' 37" |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +3.88 |
| Distance | 204 ± 11 ly (63 ± 3 pc) |
| Spectral type | A1pSi |
| Other designations | |
Gamma Arietis (γ Ari / γ Arietis) is a triple star system, 204 light years distant, in constellation Aries. It has the traditional name Mesartim or Mesarthim, of obscure origin, and has been called "the First Star in Aries" as having been at one time the nearest visible star to the equinoctial point.
The system includes a binary star with components separated with an angular distance of 7.7 arcseconds (separable in small telescopes). Both components are white A-type main sequence stars and have apparent magnitudes of +4.75 and +4.83. The brighter is known as γ² Arietis and the dimmer γ¹ Arietis. The orbital period of the binary is greater than 5000 years. Orbiting the binary is γ Arietis C, a magnitude +9.6 K-type star located 221 arcseconds distant.
The brightest component, γ² Arietis, is classified as an Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum type variable star and its brightness varies by 0.04 magnitudes with a period of 2.61 days.
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