53 Eridani
Encyclopedia
53 Eridani is a star
in the constellation
Eridanus
. It has the traditional name Sceptrum (Latin
"scepter"). 53 Eridani was one of the brighter stars, designated "p Sceptri (Brandenburgici)", in the obsolete constellation
Sceptrum Brandenburgicum
.
53 Eridani belongs to the spectral class
K2IIIb and has apparent magnitude
+3.87. It is approximately 109 light-year
s from Earth
.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Eridanus
Eridanus (constellation)
Eridanus is a constellation. It is represented as a river; its name is the Ancient Greek name for the Po River. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is the sixth largest of the modern...
. It has the traditional name Sceptrum (Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
"scepter"). 53 Eridani was one of the brighter stars, designated "p Sceptri (Brandenburgici)", in the obsolete constellation
Former constellations
Former constellations are constellations that are no longer recognized by the International Astronomical Union for various reasons. Many of these constellations existed for long periods of time, even centuries in many cases, which means they still have a large historical value and can be found on...
Sceptrum Brandenburgicum
Sceptrum Brandenburgicum
Sceptrum Brandenburgicum was a constellation created in 1688 by Gottfried Kirch, astronomer of the Prussian Royal Society of Sciences. It represented the scepter used by the royal family of the Brandenburgs. It was located west from the constellation of Lepus...
.
53 Eridani belongs to the spectral class
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
K2IIIb and has apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
+3.87. It is approximately 109 light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
- Coordinates (equinox J2000):
- Right ascensionRight ascensionRight ascension is the astronomical term for one of the two coordinates of a point on the celestial sphere when using the equatorial coordinate system. The other coordinate is the declination.-Explanation:...
: 4h38m10.80s - DeclinationDeclinationIn astronomy, declination is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle. Declination in astronomy is comparable to geographic latitude, but projected onto the celestial sphere. Declination is measured in degrees north and...
: −14°18'14.0"
- Right ascension
External links
- Star Tales – Sceptrum Brandenburgicum
- [ftp://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/pub/cats/IV/27/table3.dat HD-DM-GC-HR-HIP-Bayer-Flamsteed Cross Index (Kostjuk, 2002)] - at Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg.