Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 ( ICRS) | |
---|---|
Constellation | Fornax |
Right ascension | 02h 49m 50.96219s [1] |
Declination | −24° 33′ 37.1290″ [1] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.154 [2] |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | G9 III [3] |
B−V color index | 1.081 [2] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | −6.58±0.64 [4] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) |
RA: −51.603
[1]
mas/
yr Dec.: −127.797 [1] mas/ yr |
Parallax (π) | 8.8835 ± 0.0576 mas [1] |
Distance | 367 ± 2
ly (112.6 ± 0.7 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | +0.52±0.21 [4] |
Details | |
Mass | 1.65 [2] M☉ |
Radius | 10.44+0.73 −0.49 [1] R☉ |
Luminosity | 50.814±0.439 [1] L☉ |
Surface gravity (log g) | 2.60 [4] cgs |
Temperature | 4,657±56 [2] K |
Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.02 [4] dex |
Age | 3.36 [2] Gyr |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
Gamma1 Fornacis, which is Latinized from γ1 Fornacis, is a star in the constellation Fornax, positioned less than a degree south of the border with Eridanus. [6] The star has a golden hue and can be a challenge to view with the naked eye even in good seeing conditions, having an apparent visual magnitude of 6.15. [2] It is located at a distance of approximately 367 light years from the Sun based on parallax, [1] but is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −7 km/s. [4] The star has an absolute magnitude of +0.5. [4]
The stellar classification of γ1 Fornacis is G9 III, [3] which indicates this is an aging giant star [4] that has exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core, then cooled and expanded away from the main sequence. It is an estimated 3.4 [2] billion years old with a metallicity that is close to solar, indicating the abundances of heavy elements are similar to those in the Sun. It has 1.65 [2] times the mass of the Sun and has expanded to ten [1] times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 51 [1] times the Sun's luminosity from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,657 K. [2]
γ1 Fornacis has three visual companions listed in the Washington Double Star Catalog. These are faint 11th - 13th magnitude stars at 11' - 56' distance from γ1. [7] Gamma2 Fornacis is a 5th magnitude star located four degrees to the south. [6]