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Beta Sextantis, Latinized from β Sextantis, is a variable star in the equatorial constellation of Sextans. With an apparent visual magnitude of 5.07,[2] it is faintly visible to the naked eye on a dark night. According to the Bortle scale, it can be viewed from brighter lit suburban skies. The distance to this star, based upon an annual parallax shift of 8.89 mas,[1] is around 367 light years.

A light curve for Beta Sextantis, plotted from TESS data,[13]

This star served as a primary standard in the MK spectral classification system with a stellar classification of B6 V,[4] indicating that it is a B-type main sequence star. However, Houk and Swift (1999) list a classification of B5 IV/V, suggesting it may be transitioning into a subgiant star.[5] Stellar evolution models support this is a main sequence star.[3] It has served as a uvby photometric standard, but is also categorized as an Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variable[6] with a suspected period of 15.4 days. This lengthy a period conflicts with a relatively high projected rotational velocity of 85 km/s, leaving the explanation for the variance unresolved.[10][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties”. Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A…674A…1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  2. ^ a b c d Crawford, D. L.; et al. (1971). “Four-color, H-beta, and UBV photometry for bright B-type stars in the northern hemisphere”. The Astronomical Journal. 76: 1058. Bibcode:1971AJ…..76.1058C. doi:10.1086/111220.
  3. ^ a b c d e Zorec, J.; Royer, F. (2012). “Rotational velocities of A-type stars. IV. Evolution of rotational velocities”. Astronomy and Astrophysics. 537: A120. arXiv:1201.2052. Bibcode:2012A&A…537A.120Z. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201117691.
  4. ^ a b c Mathys, G.; et al. (March 1986). “Photometric variability of some early-type stars”. Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series. 63 (3): 403–416. Bibcode:1986A&AS…63..403M.
  5. ^ a b Houk, N.; Swift, C. (1999). “Michigan catalogue of two-dimensional spectral types for the HD Stars”. Michigan Spectral Survey. 5. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan. Bibcode:1999MSS…C05….0H.
  6. ^ a b Kholopov, P. N.; et al. (April 1989). “The 69th Name-List of Variable Stars”. Information Bulletin on Variable Stars. 3323 (3323): 1. Bibcode:1989IBVS.3323….1K.
  7. ^ de Bruijne, J. H. J.; Eilers, A.-C. (October 2012). “Radial velocities for the HIPPARCOS-Gaia Hundred-Thousand-Proper-Motion project”. Astronomy & Astrophysics. 546: 14. arXiv:1208.3048. Bibcode:2012A&A…546A..61D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219219. S2CID 59451347. A61.
  8. ^ Anderson, E.; Francis, Ch. (2012). “XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation”. Astronomy Letters. 38 (5): 331. arXiv:1108.4971. Bibcode:2012AstL…38..331A. doi:10.1134/S1063773712050015. XHIP record for this object at VizieR.
  9. ^ McDonald, I.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Watson, R. A. (2017-10-01). “Fundamental parameters and infrared excesses of Tycho-Gaia stars”. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 471: 770–791. arXiv:1706.02208. Bibcode:2017MNRAS.471..770M. doi:10.1093/mnras/stx1433. ISSN 0035-8711.
  10. ^ a b c d Hempel, M.; Holweger, H. (September 2003). “Abundance analysis of late B stars. Evidence for diffusion and against weak stellar winds”. Astronomy and Astrophysics. 408 (3): 1065–1076. Bibcode:2003A&A…408.1065H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20030889.
  11. ^ Gontcharov, G. A. (2012). “Dependence of kinematics on the age of stars in the solar neighborhood”. Astronomy Letters. 38 (12): 771. arXiv:1606.08814. Bibcode:2012AstL…38..771G. doi:10.1134/S1063773712120031.
  12. ^ “bet Sex”. SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
  13. ^ “MAST: Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes”. Space Telescope Science Institute. Retrieved 27 August 2024.