DX Cancri
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Right ascension | 08h 29m 49.35279s |
| Declination | +26° 46′ 33.6241″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 14.81 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | M6.5V |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 8.2 |
| U−B color index | +2.11 |
| B−V color index | +2.08 |
| Variable type | Flare star |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +9.0 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −1,113.694 mas/yr Dec.: −612.191 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 279.2496±0.0637 mas |
| Distance | 11.680 ± 0.003 ly (3.5810 ± 0.0008 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | 16.98 |
| Details | |
| Mass | 0.106±0.009 M☉ |
| Radius | 0.1235±0.0006 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 0.00073±0.000007 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | ~5 cgs |
| Temperature | 2,840 K |
| Rotation | 0.46 days |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 11.0 km/s |
| Age | 200 Myr |
| Other designations | |
| G 051-015, GCTP 2016.01, GJ 1111, LHS 248 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Location of DX Cancri in the constellation Cancer | |
DX Cancri is a variable star in the northern zodiac constellation of Cancer. With an apparent visual magnitude of 14.81, it is much too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Visually viewing this star requires a telescope with a minimum aperture of 16 in (41 cm). Based upon parallax measurements, DX Cancri is located at a distance of 11.8 light-years (3.6 parsecs) from Earth. This makes it the 18th closest star (or star system) to the Sun. It is a proposed member of the Castor Moving Group of stars that share a common trajectory through space. This group has an estimated age of 200 million years.
In 1981, Bjørn Ragnvald Pettersen discovered that the star, then called G 51-15, is a variable star. It was given its variable star designation, DX Cancri, in 1985. It is a flare star that has unpredictable, intermittent increases in brightness by up to a factor of five.
The star has a stellar classification of M6.5V, identifying it as a type of main sequence star known as a red dwarf. It has about 10% of the mass of the Sun, and 12% of the Sun's radius. The outer envelope of the star has an effective temperature of 2,840 K, making it an M-type star.