66 Aurigae is a single[7] star located approximately 880 light years away from the Sun in the northern constellation of Auriga. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint, orange hued star with an apparent magnitude of 5.23.[2] This object is moving further from the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of +22.6 km/s.[1]
Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Auriga |
Right ascension | 07h 24m 08.46679s[1] |
Declination | +40° 40′ 20.5980″[1] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 5.23[2] |
Characteristics | |
Evolutionary stage | horizontal branch[3] |
Spectral type | K0.5 IIIa[4] |
B−V color index | 1.249±0.003[2] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | +22.62±0.13[1] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: −3.511[1] mas/yr Dec.: −20.935[1] mas/yr |
Parallax (π) | 3.7070 ± 0.1684 mas[1] |
Distance | 880 ± 40 ly (270 ± 10 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | −2.58[2] |
Details | |
Mass | 5.05[3] M☉ |
Radius | 48.05+1.66 −1.36[1] R☉ |
Luminosity | 834.3±43.6[1] L☉ |
Temperature | 4,475+65 −75[1] K |
Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.09±0.03[2] dex |
Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 4.5[5] km/s |
Age | 107[3] Myr |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
At the age of 107 million years,[3] 66 Aurigae is an evolved giant star, most likely (98% chance) on the horizontal branch,[3] with a stellar classification of K0.5 IIIa.[4] Keenan and Yorka (1987) identified it as a strong–CN star, showing an excess strength of the blue CN bands in the spectrum.[8] Having exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core, the star has expanded to 48[1] times the Sun's radius. 66 Aurigae has five[3] times the mass of the Sun and is radiating 834[1] times the Sun's luminosity from its swollen photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,475 K.[1]
It was also known to be part of a much bigger constellation named Telescopium Herschelii before it was unrecognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).