Gamma Piscium
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| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation (pronunciation) |
Pisces |
| Right ascension | 23h 17m 9.9379s |
| Declination | +3° 16' 56.240" |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 3.69 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | G9III |
| U-B color index | +0.572 |
| B-V color index | +0.924 |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | -13.6 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: 760.35 mas/yr Dec.: 17.96 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 24.92 ± 0.89 mas |
| Distance | 131 ± 5 ly (40 ± 1 pc) |
| Other designations | |
Gamma Piscium (γ Psc) is a star approximately 130 light years away from Earth, in the constellation Pisces. It is a yellow star with a spectral type of G9III, meaning it has a surface temperature of 5,000 to 6,000 degrees and is a normal giant star. It is slightly cooler than our Sun, yet it is 11 solar radii in size and shines with the light of 61 Suns. At an apparent magnitude of 3.69, it is the second brightest star in the constellation Pisces, between Eta and Alpha. Once a white A2 star, it is 1.4 billion years old.[2]
Gamma Piscium moves across the sky at three-quarters of an arcsecond per year, which at 130 light years corresponds to 145 kilometers per second. This suggests it is a visitor from another part of the Milky Way Galaxy; in astronomical terms, it will quickly leave the vicinity of the Sun. Its metallicity is only one-fourth that of the Sun, and visitors from outside the thin disk that composes the Milky Way tend to be metal-poor. It also has a low carbon-nitrogen content.[2] Gamma Piscium lies inside a pattern known as the "circlet of Pisces."[3]
[edit] In fiction
In Frank Herbert's Dune series, Gamma Waiping (The Chinese name for Pisces) is the home system of Imperial House Corrino.
[edit] References
- ^ Simbad Query Result. Simbad. Retrieved on September 30, 2007.
- ^ a b "Gamma Psc". Retrieved on September 30, 2007.
- ^ "SPACE.com -- SpaceWatch -- Pisces Rising". Retrieved on September 30, 2007.
