Kappa Cygni

κ Cygni
Location of κ Cygni (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Cygnus
Right ascension 19h 17m 06.16865s
Declination +53° 22 06.4534
Apparent magnitude (V) 3.814
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage horizontal branch
Spectral type G9 III
U−B color index +0.767
B−V color index +0.965
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−29.36±0.09 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +60.07 mas/yr
Dec.: +122.83 mas/yr
Parallax (π)26.27±0.10 mas
Distance124.2 ± 0.5 ly
(38.1 ± 0.1 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)+0.84
Details
Mass2.35±0.12 M
Radius8.77±0.05 R
Luminosity46.8+5.7
−5.1
 L
Surface gravity (log g)3.02±0.04 cgs
Temperature5,021±12 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.1 ± 0.02 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)1.08±0.28 km/s
Age813+164
−137
 Myr
Other designations
κ Cyg, 1 Cygni, BD+53°2216, FK5 726, HD 181276, HIP 94779, HR 7328, SAO 31537
Database references
SIMBADdata

Kappa Cygni, Latinized from κ Cygni, is a star in the northern constellation of Cygnus. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 3.8, which is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. In the constellation, it forms the tip of Cygnus's left wing. The radiant of the minor Kappa Cygnids meteor shower is located about 5° north of this star.

Examination of this star's spectrum show it to match a stellar classification of G9 III, with the 'III' luminosity class revealing that it has consumed the hydrogen fuel at its core and expanded into the giant star stage of its stellar evolution. It is known to vary in luminosity, but only by about 0.01 to 0.02 magnitudes. Despite being younger than the Sun with an age of 800 million years, it has reached its current evolutionary stage because more massive stars evolve faster. Kappa Cygni has expanded to 8.77 times the Sun's radius and is glowing with 47 times the Sun's luminosity. The outer envelope has an effective temperature of 5,022 K, giving it the yellow-orange hue of a star near the transition from a G- to a K-type classification.