63 Aurigae

63 Aurigae

63 Aurigae in optical light
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Auriga
Right ascension 07h 11m 39.32608s
Declination +39° 19 13.9844
Apparent magnitude (V) 4.91
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage giant
Spectral type K4 III
B−V color index 1.451±0.005
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−27.89±0.02 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +45.655 mas/yr
Dec.: +2.791 mas/yr
Parallax (π)8.2489±0.1974 mas
Distance395 ± 9 ly
(121 ± 3 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−0.95
Details
Radius36.88+0.87
−1.51
 R
Luminosity335.37±9.25 L
Surface gravity (log g)1.88 cgs
Temperature4067.5+85.8
−47.5
 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]−0.17±0.06 dex
Other designations
63 Aur, BD+39°1882, FK5 274, HD 54716, HIP 34752, HR 2696, SAO 59866
Database references
SIMBADdata

63 Aurigae is a single star located around 395 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 4.91. It is moving closer to the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of −28 km/s.

This is an evolved giant star with a stellar classification of K4 III. After exhausting the hydrogen at its core, the star has expanded to 37 times the radius of the Sun. It is radiating 335 times the Sun's luminosity from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,068 K.

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).