39 Eridani

39 Eridani
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Eridanus
Right ascension 04h 14m 23.68902s
Declination −10° 15 22.6083
Apparent magnitude (V) 4.87 (5.07 + 8.68)
Characteristics
Spectral type K3 III + G2 V
B−V color index 1.156±0.003
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)6.8±0.8 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −7.19 mas/yr
Dec.: −161.05 mas/yr
Parallax (π)13.46±0.60 mas
Distance240 ± 10 ly
(74 ± 3 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)0.52
Details
39 Eri A
Mass1.77±0.49 M
Radius12 R
Luminosity81.3 L
Surface gravity (log g)2.42±0.11 cgs
Temperature4,641±92 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.18±0.06 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)1.6 km/s
Age1.12+0.36
−0.27
 Gyr
39 Eri B
Radius1.15+0.10
−0.06
 R
Luminosity1.369+0.07
−0.06
 L
Temperature5,816+168
−223
 K
Other designations
39 Eri, BD−10°867, GC 5114, HD 26846, HIP 19777, HR 1318, SAO 149478, WDS J04144-1015
Database references
SIMBADdata

39 Eridani is a wide binary star system in the equatorial constellation of Eridanus. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint, orange-hued star with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 4.87. As of 2015, the components had an angular separation of 6.4 along a position angle of 143°. The system is moving further from the Sun with a heliocentric radial velocity of +7 km/s.

The magnitude 5.07 primary, designated component A, is an aging giant star with a stellar classification of K3 III. This object is more than a billion years old with 1.77 times the mass of the Sun. With the hydrogen at its core exhausted, the star has expanded to 12 times the Sun's radius. It is a candidate super metal-rich star, showing a significant overabundance of iron compared to the Sun. 39 Eridani A is radiating 81.3 times the luminosity of the Sun from its swollen photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,641 K.

The secondary, component B, is a magnitude 8.68 G-type main-sequence star with a class of G2 V. It has 1.15 times the Sun's radius and shines with 1.37 times the luminosity of the Sun at an effective temperature of 5,816 K.