59 Aurigae

59 Aurigae

Four visual band light curves for 59 Aurigae, adapted from Zhiping (2000)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Auriga
Right ascension 06h 53m 01.41099s
Declination +38° 52 08.9353
Apparent magnitude (V) 6.099
Characteristics
Spectral type F2V
U−B color index +0.14
B−V color index +0.38
Variable type δ Sct
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)1.0±4.3 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −3.935 mas/yr
Dec.: 6.454 mas/yr
Parallax (π)6.7493±0.0501 mas
Distance483 ± 4 ly
(148 ± 1 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)0.23±0.12
Details
Mass2.49±0.08 M
Radius5.73+0.29
−0.26
 R
Luminosity63.87±0.65 L
Temperature6,808 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.18 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)165 km/s
Age700±100 Myr
Other designations
59 Aur, OX Aur, BD+39°1771, GC 8993, HD 50018, HIP 33041, HR 2539, SAO 59571, PPM 72197, ADS 5534, CCDM J06530+3852, WDS J06530+3852, TYC 2942-2005-1, GSC 02942-02005
Database references
SIMBADdata

59 Aurigae, often abbreviated as 59 Aur, is a star in the constellation Auriga. Its baseline apparent magnitude is 6.1, meaning it can just barely be seen with the naked eye as a dim, yellow-white hued star. Based on parallax measurements, it is located about 483 light-years (148 parsecs) away from the Sun.

In 1966, Ivan John Danziger and Robert John Dickens discovered that 59 Aurigae star is a variable star. This object is a Delta Scuti variable, meaning it varies in luminosity due to pulsations on its surface, ranging in magnitude from 5.94 down to 6.14 with a period of 0.154412 days (3.7 h). For that reason, in 1975, it was given the variable star designation OX Aurigae. The star's spectrum matches that of an F-type main-sequence star and it has a spectral type of F2V. It has 2.5 times the mass of the Sun and 5.7 times the Sun's radius. 59 Aurigae is thought to be around 700 million years old, and is radiating 64 times the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere an effective temperature of 6,808 K.