Beta Eridani
Encyclopedia
Beta Eridani (Beta Eri, β Eridani, β Eri) is the second brightest star
in the constellation
of Eridanus
, located in the northeast end of this constellation. It has the traditional names Cursa.
The term Cursa is derived from Al Kursiyy al Jauzah, "the Chair (or "Footstool") of the Central One". This is the name of star association consisting this star, along with λ Eri, ψ Eri and τ Ori
According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum 33-507 - A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Al Kursiyy al Jauzah were the title for three stars :β Eri as Cursa, ψ Eridani as Al Kursiyy al Jauzah I and λ Eridani as Al Kursiyy al Jauzah II (exclude τ Orionis
)
In Chinese
, , meaning Jade Well
, refers to an asterism consisting of β Eridani, λ Eridani, ψ Eridani and τ Orionis
. Consequently, β Eridani itself is known as . From this Chinese name, the name Yuh Tsing was appeared.
of A3III. It is approximately 90 light-years from the Earth
. It may be a member of the proposed Sirius Supercluster, along with other scattered stars such as Sirius
itself, Beta Aurigae
, Alpha Coronae Borealis, Zeta Crateris, and Beta Serpentis
.
, CCDM J05079-0506B, which has an apparent visual magnitude of approximately 10.9.
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 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...
, located in the northeast end of this constellation. It has the traditional names Cursa.
The term Cursa is derived from Al Kursiyy al Jauzah, "the Chair (or "Footstool") of the Central One". This is the name of star association consisting this star, along with λ Eri, ψ Eri and τ Ori
Tau Orionis
Tau Orionis is a star in the constellation Orion.This star, along with β Eri, λ Eri and ψ Eri were Al Kursiyy al Jauzah, "the Chair of the Central One"...
According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum 33-507 - A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Al Kursiyy al Jauzah were the title for three stars :β Eri as Cursa, ψ Eridani as Al Kursiyy al Jauzah I and λ Eridani as Al Kursiyy al Jauzah II (exclude τ Orionis
Tau Orionis
Tau Orionis is a star in the constellation Orion.This star, along with β Eri, λ Eri and ψ Eri were Al Kursiyy al Jauzah, "the Chair of the Central One"...
)
In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, , meaning Jade Well
Three Stars (Chinese constellation)
The Three Stars mansion is one of the twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger. This collection of seven bright stars is visible during winter in the Northern Hemisphere .- Asterisms :...
, refers to an asterism consisting of β Eridani, λ Eridani, ψ Eridani and τ Orionis
Tau Orionis
Tau Orionis is a star in the constellation Orion.This star, along with β Eri, λ Eri and ψ Eri were Al Kursiyy al Jauzah, "the Chair of the Central One"...
. Consequently, β Eridani itself is known as . From this Chinese name, the name Yuh Tsing was appeared.
Properties
β Eridani has an apparent visual magnitude which varies between 2.72 and 2.80 and a spectral typeStellar 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...
of A3III. It is approximately 90 light-years from the 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...
. It may be a member of the proposed Sirius Supercluster, along with other scattered stars such as Sirius
Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
itself, Beta Aurigae
Beta Aurigae
Beta Aurigae , traditionally named Menkalinan, is a white subgiant ternary star system approximately 85 light-years away in the constellation Auriga.- Nomenclature :...
, Alpha Coronae Borealis, Zeta Crateris, and Beta Serpentis
Beta Serpentis
Beta Serpentis is a star system in the constellation Serpens, in its head . It was a member of indigenous Arabic asterism al-Nasaq al-Sha'āmī, "the Northern Line" of al-Nasaqān "the Two Lines", along with β Her , γ Her and γ Ser .According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum...
.
Visual companion
β Eridani has a 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 J05079-0506B, which has an apparent visual magnitude of approximately 10.9.