Theta Octantis

Theta Octantis
Location of θ Octantis (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Octans
Right ascension 00h 01m 35.70158s
Declination −77° 03 56.6092
Apparent magnitude (V) 4.78
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage red clump
Spectral type K3III
U−B color index +1.41
B−V color index +1.27
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)+22.48±0.17 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −57.30 mas/yr
Dec.: −177.06 mas/yr
Parallax (π)15.02±0.18 mas
Distance217 ± 3 ly
(66.6 ± 0.8 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)0.66
Details
Mass1.20 M
Radius15.84+0.42
−1.02
 R
Luminosity79.2±1.5 L
Surface gravity (log g)2.16 cgs
Temperature4,325+147
−55
 K
Rotational velocity (v sin i)< 1.0 km/s
Other designations
θ Oct, CPD−77°1596, FK5 904, GC 33321, HD 224889, HIP 122, HR 9084, SAO 258207
Database references
SIMBADdata

θ Octantis, Latinized as Theta Octantis, is a single star in the southern circumpolar constellation of Octans, near the constellation border with Hydrus. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint, orange-hued star with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.78. The star is located approximately 217 light years from the Sun based on parallax, and is drifting further away with a radial velocity of +22.5 km/s.

This is an aging giant star with a stellar classification of K3III, having exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core then cooled and expanded. It has been catalogued as a red clump giant, which would indicate it is on the horizontal branch and is undergoing core helium fusion. At present it has 16 times the radius of the Sun. This star has 1.20 times the mass of the Sun and is radiating 79 times the Sun's luminosity from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,325 K.