From HandWiki - Reading time: 5 min
| Observation data Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS) | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Right ascension | 12h 23m 47.01208s[2] |
| Declination | +42° 32′ 33.8622″[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +5.89 to 6.15[3] |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | subgiant[2] |
| Spectral type | F3 IV[4] or F0 III[5] |
| B−V color index | 0.366±0.005[6] |
| Variable type | δ Sct[7] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | −0.3±2.9[8] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −80.044[2] mas/yr Dec.: +13.518[2] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 7.6048 ± 0.0855[2] mas |
| Distance | 429 ± 5 ly (131 ± 1 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | +0.75[9] |
| Orbit[8] | |
| Period (P) | 124.44±0.03 d |
| Eccentricity (e) | 0.311±0.003 |
| Periastron epoch (T) | 2454605±10.3 JD |
| Argument of periastron (ω) (secondary) | 70.2±0.7° |
| Semi-amplitude (K1) (primary) | 13.24±0.05 km/s |
| Details[8] | |
| 4 CVn A | |
| Mass | 1.0–2.0 M☉ |
| Radius | 3.7–4.1 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 295+3.6 −3.2 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 3.30±0.35 cgs |
| Temperature | 6,875±120 K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.05±0.15 dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 109±3 km/s |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
4 Canum Venaticorum is a binary star system in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici, located around 429 light-years away.[2] It has the variable star designation AI Canum Venaticorum; 4 Canum Venaticorum is its Flamsteed designation. Its brightness varies from magnitude +5.89 to +6.15 with a period of 2.8 hours,[3] which places it around the lower limit of visibility to the naked eye. This was found to be a binary by Schmid et al. in 2014, based on periodic, non-sinusoidal changes in its radial velocity. It is a single-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 124.4 days and an eccentricity of 0.31.[8]
The primary component is an evolved F-type star with a stellar classification of F3 IV[4] or F0 III,[5] matching a subgiant or giant star, respectively. Roberta M. Humphreys first showed that the star's brightness varies, in 1966.[11] It is a variable of the Delta Scuti class, displaying both radial and non-radial pulsations.[7] The variable nature of this star was discovered by D. H. P. Jones and C. Margaret Haslam in 1966 at the suggestion of Olin J. Eggen,[12] and it has become one of the best studied stars in its class. The radial pulsations have shown little if any variations between 1974 and 2012. However, the non-radial pulsations vary continuously in frequency over periods spanning decades.[7] It is spinning rapidly with a rotation of at least one third of its critical velocity.[8]