Epsilon Phoenicis

ε Phoenicis
Location of ε Phoenicis (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Phoenix
Right ascension 00h 09m 24.640s
Declination −45° 44 50.73
Apparent magnitude (V) 3.87
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage Red clump
Spectral type K0III
U−B color index +0.84
B−V color index +1.02
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−9.20 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +120.393 mas/yr
Dec.: −179.597 mas/yr
Parallax (π)22.6081±0.1481 mas
Distance144.3 ± 0.9 ly
(44.2 ± 0.3 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)0.65
Details
Mass1.93±0.23 M
Radius10.03±0.22 R
Luminosity50.4±1.5 L
Surface gravity (log g)2.560±0.103 cgs
Temperature4,862±42 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]+0.00±0.08 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)< 1.5 km/s
Other designations
FK5 3, GC 158, HD 496, HIP 765, HR 25, SAO 214983
Database references
SIMBADdata

Epsilon Phoenicis is a star in the southern constellation of Phoenix. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.87. The distance to this star is approximately 144 light years based on parallax measurements, but it is drifting closer with a heliocentric radial velocity of −9.2 km/s.

This is an evolved giant star with a stellar classification of K0III, a star that has used up its core hydrogen and has expanded. It is a red clump star, indicating that it has passed the red-giant branch, undergone a helium flash and is currently on the core helium-fusing horizontal branch. Epsilon Phoenicis is about two times more massive than the Sun, and expanded to ten times its radius. It radiates 50 the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,862 K. Based on the elemental abundance of iron in the stellar atmosphere, the metallicity of Epsilon Phoenicis is similar to that of the Sun.