13 Andromedae

Lore & Background

The variability of 13 Andromedae was first detected in Hipparcos satellite data, and it received its variable star designation in 1999. It is a magnetic chemically peculiar star that has been assigned stellar classifications of B9 III or B9 Mn. As an Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variable, it ranges in magnitude from 5.73 down to 5.77 with a period of 1.47946 days. The star has a high rate of spin, showing a projected rotational velocity of 75 km/s.

Reader's Guide

13 Andromedae holds significance as a magnetic chemically peculiar star of the Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum type, a class of variables whose brightness changes are linked to strong magnetic fields and uneven distribution of chemical elements on the stellar surface. Its variability was discovered through Hipparcos satellite data, highlighting the role of space-based astrometry in identifying new variable stars. The star's distance of 315 light years, derived from a parallax of 10.4 mas, and its radial velocity of −8 km/s indicate it is moving closer to Earth. With an age of 339 million years and a luminosity 48 times that of the Sun, it represents a relatively young, rapidly rotating star. Its spectral classification as either B9 III or B9 Mn reflects uncertainty in its exact evolutionary stage, but it is clearly a chemically peculiar object. The star's legacy lies in its contribution to the study of magnetic fields in intermediate-mass stars and the behavior of Alpha2 CVn variables, which serve as natural laboratories for understanding stellar magnetism and chemical stratification.

Did You Know?

• 13 Andromedae is also designated V388 Andromedae.
• It has a rotation period of 1.47946 days.
• The star is moving closer to Earth with a radial velocity of −8 km/s.