14 Aurigae is a quadruple star system located 269[2] light years away from the Sun in the zodiac constellation of Auriga. It has the variable star designation KW Aurigae, whereas 14 Aurigae is the Flamsteed designation.[9] It is visible to the naked eye as a faint, white-hued star with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 5.01.[3] The system is moving closer to the Sun with a heliocentric radial velocity of −9 km/s.[3]
Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Auriga |
Right ascension | 05h 15m 24.39398s[2] |
Declination | +32° 41′ 15.3638″[2] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 5.01[3] (5.08 + 7.86)[4] |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | A9IV + ? + F5V + M3V: + WDA[4] |
U−B color index | +0.19[5] |
B−V color index | +0.222±0.004[3] |
Variable type | δ Scuti[6] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | −9.3±0.2[3] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: −25.062[2] mas/yr Dec.: +12.056[2] mas/yr |
Parallax (π) | 12.1306 ± 0.1712 mas[2] |
Distance | 269 ± 4 ly (82 ± 1 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | 0.31[3] |
Details | |
14 Aur Aa | |
Mass | 1.64[7] M☉ |
Luminosity | 62.07[3] L☉ |
Surface gravity (log g) | 3.46[8] cgs |
Temperature | 7,498[8] K |
Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.02[3] dex |
Rotation | 2.11 h[6] |
Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 27.6[8] km/s |
Age | 609[7] Myr |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
The magnitude 5.08[4] primary member, designated component A, is a single-lined spectroscopic binary system in a circular orbit with a period of 3.7887 days.[10] The visible member has a stellar classification of A9 IV or A V, depending on the source,[11] and is a Delta Scuti variable with an amplitude of 0.08 magnitude and a period of 2.11 hours.[6] It is 609 million years old with 1.64 times the mass of the Sun.[7]
Component B lies about 10″ to the north of the primary and is merely a visual companion. However, component C, an F-type main sequence star of magnitude 7.86,[4] shares a common proper motion with component A and thus they form a system. This member is also a single-lined spectroscopic binary, having a period of 2.9934 days. The final member of the system, now designated component Cb, is a white dwarf star that is separated from the C, or rather Ca pair by 2″. If it is indeed bound to Ca, its orbital period is around 1,300 years.[11]