Mu Fornacis

Mu Fornacis
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Fornax
Right ascension 02h 12m 54.46962s
Declination −30° 43 25.7732
Apparent magnitude (V) 5.27
Characteristics
Spectral type A0 V
U−B color index −0.06
B−V color index −0.02
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)10.0±3.7 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +14.10 mas/yr
Dec.: +6.85 mas/yr
Parallax (π)10.18±0.24 mas
Distance320 ± 8 ly
(98 ± 2 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)+0.31
Details
Mass2.55±0.34 M
Radius2.9±0.1 R
Luminosity75±4 L
Surface gravity (log g)3.92±0.06 cgs
Temperature9,977±136 K
Rotational velocity (v sin i)320 km/s
Age188 Myr
Other designations
μ For, CD−31°882, FK5 78, GJ 89, HD 13709, HIP 10320, HR 652, SAO 193573
Database references
SIMBADdata

μ Fornacis (Latinised as Mu Fornacis) is a star in the southern constellation of Fornax. With an apparent visual magnitude of 5.27, it is visible to the naked eye. The distance to this star, as determined by its annual parallax shift of 10.18 mas, is around 320 light years.

This is an A-type main sequence star with a stellar classification of A0 V. It is a Be star that displays "central quasi emission" (CQE) bumps in its spectrum due to a surrounding shell of material. The star has an estimated 2.6 times the mass of the Sun and 2.9 times the Sun's radius. Mu Fornacis is spinning rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of 320 km/s and is around 188 million years old. It radiates 75 times the solar luminosity from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 9,977 K.

Mu Fornacis appears to be emitting an infrared excess at a wavelength of 22 μm, which could be due to an orbiting debris disk.