Iota Crateris
Triple star system with a candidate technosignature signal.
Last updated
Iota Crateris is a triple star system in the southern constellation of Crater. It is faintly visible to the naked eye as a point of light with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.48, and is located approximately 87.6 light years from the Sun. The system is notable as an astrometric binary with a very long orbital period, and for being the subject of a candidate narrowband radio signal identified in a deep learning-based technosignature search.
Quick Facts
- Bayer designation
- ι Crateris
- Apparent visual magnitude
- 5.48
- Distance
- 87.6 ly
- Primary spectral type
- F6.5 V
- Primary mass
- 1.19 M☉
- Primary effective temperature
- 6,230 K
Facts from the source article.
Background
The primary star, component A, is an F-type main sequence star of class F6.5 V, generating energy through hydrogen fusion in its core. It is about 4.45 billion years old and has 1.19 times the mass of the Sun, radiating at an effective temperature of 6,230 K. The close companion, component B, is a red dwarf with a probable classification of M3, though its mass estimate of 0.57 solar masses would be more consistent with an M0 class star. As of 2014, this magnitude 11.0 star had an angular separation of 1.10 arcseconds at a position angle of 248°, corresponding to a projected separation of at least 25 AU. The system also includes a white dwarf, component C, which is at the same distance and shares a common proper motion with the other two stars; it has the separate designation UCAC4 384-059519.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Iota Crateris (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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