Gamma Cancri
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS) | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Right ascension | 08h 43m 17.14820s [1] |
| Declination | +21° 28′ 06.6008″ [1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 4.66 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | A1IV |
| Astrometry | |
| Parallax (π) | 18.00 ± 0.21[2] mas |
| Distance | 181 ± 2 ly (55.6 ± 0.6 pc) |
| Other designations | |
Gamma Cancri (γ Cancri, abbreviated Gamma Cnc, γ Cnc), also named Asellus Borealis,[3] is a star in the constellation of Cancer.
Since it is near the ecliptic, it can be occulted by the Moon and, very rarely, by planets.
Nomenclature
γ Cancri (Latinised to Gamma Cancri) is the star's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name Asellus Borealis (Latin for "northern donkey colt"). In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[4] to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Asellus Borealis for this star on 6 November 2016 and it is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.[3]
In Chinese, 鬼宿 (Guǐ Su), meaning Ghost, refers to an asterism consisting of Gamma Cancri, Theta Cancri, Eta Cancri and Delta Cancri.[5] Consequently, Gamma Cancri itself is known as 鬼宿三 (Guǐ Su sān, English: the Third Star of Ghost.)[6]
Properties
Gamma Cancri is a white A-type subgiant with an apparent magnitude of +4.67. [1] Located around 181 light-years from the Sun, it shines with a luminosity approximately 35 times greater and has a surface temperature of 9108 K.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 "Gamma+Cancri". SIMBAD. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ van Leeuwen, F. (2007). "Validation of the New Hipparcos Reduction". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 474 (2): 653–64. arXiv:0708.1752
. Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078357. - 1 2 "IAU Catalog of Star Names". Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ↑ IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN), International Astronomical Union, retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ↑ (Chinese) 中國星座神話, written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, ISBN 978-986-7332-25-7.
- ↑ (Chinese) 香港太空館 - 研究資源 - 亮星中英對照表, Hong Kong Space Museum. Accessed on line November 23, 2010.
- ↑ McDonald, I.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Boyer, M. L. (2012). "Fundamental Parameters and Infrared Excesses of Hipparcos Stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 427 (1): 343–57. arXiv:1208.2037. Bibcode:2012MNRAS.427..343M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21873.x.