Alpha Microscopii
Encyclopedia
Alpha Microscopii (Alpha Mic, α Microscopii, α Mic) is a G-type giant
star
in the constellation
of Microscopium. It has an apparent visual magnitude which varies between 4.88 and 4.94.
, CCDM J20500-3347B, of apparent visual magnitude 10.0 approximately 20 arcseconds away. It has no physical connection to the star described above.
Giant star
A giant star is a star with substantially larger radius and luminosity than a main sequence star of the same surface temperature. Typically, giant stars have radii between 10 and 100 solar radii and luminosities between 10 and 1,000 times that of the Sun. Stars still more luminous than giants are...
star
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....
of Microscopium. It has an apparent visual magnitude which varies between 4.88 and 4.94.
Visual companion
α Microscopii has an optical visual companionDouble star
In observational astronomy, a double star is a pair of stars that appear close to each other in the sky as seen from Earth when viewed through an optical telescope. This can happen either because the pair forms a binary star, i.e...
, CCDM J20500-3347B, of apparent visual magnitude 10.0 approximately 20 arcseconds away. It has no physical connection to the star described above.