Beta Aurigae

light-years
Proper names: Beta Aurigae, 34 Aurigae
Catalog numbers:
     Henry Draper (HD) 40183, Bonner Durchmusterung (BD) +44°1328, Hipparcos Input Catalog (HIC) 28360, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) 40750, Fifth Fundamental Catalogue (FK5) 227, Hoffleit Bright Star (HR) 2088
Arity: singular
Right Ascension and Declination: 5h59m31.72s, +44°56'50.78" (epoch 2000.0)
Distance from Sol: 82.1 light-years (25.2 parsecs)
Standard error in distance: 1.9259%
Source for distance: Hipparcos
Celestial (X,Y,Z) coordinates in ly: 0.12, 58.1, 58.0
Galactic (X,Y,Z) coordinates in ly: -78.8, 17.1, 15.6
Proper motion: 0.056 arcsec/yr (269.7° from north)
Radial Velocity: -19.4 km/sec
Source for proper motion and radial velocity: Gliese
Galactic (U,V,W) velocity components in km/s: 18.2, -0.76, -9.51

What do all these fields mean?


NOTE: This star is actually a close-orbiting binary pair. The data below are for both sub-components of the pair combined.
Spectral class: A2
Luminosity Class: IV
Apparent visual magnitude: +1.90
Absolute visual magnitude: -0.10
Visual luminosity: 96.0 x Sol
Variable type: Algol (eclipsing binary)
Color indices: B-V= +0.03, U-B= +0.05
Diameter: 2.92 x Sol
Source for diameter: Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (Fracassini+ 1988)
Comfort Zone (visual): 9.80 A.U.s
Angular size of star in sky in CZ: 0.159037 degrees

light-years
but not more than light-years away
Data for this star system were most recently updated on 4-April-2001.