Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Piscis Austrinus |
Right ascension | 22h 56m 24.05256s [1] |
Declination | −31° 33′ 56.0306″ [1] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 5.44–6.51 [2] |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | K5Vp [3] |
U−B color index | 1.02 [4] |
B−V color index | 1.10 [4] |
Variable type | BY Draconis [2] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | +6.79±0.12 [1] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: 330.203 mas/yr [1] Dec.: −158.602 mas/yr [1] |
Parallax (π) | 131.5525 ± 0.0275 mas [1] |
Distance | 24.793 ± 0.005 ly (7.602 ± 0.002 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | 7.08 [5] |
Details [6] | |
Mass | 0.704±0.016 M☉ |
Radius | 0.658±0.009 R☉ |
Luminosity | 0.19 [5] L☉ |
Temperature | 4,610±67 K |
Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.07±0.03 dex |
Rotation | 10.3 [7] days |
Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 2.93 [3] km/s |
Age | 440 [5] Myr |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
ARICNS | data |
TW Piscis Austrini (also known as Fomalhaut B) is a main sequence star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. It lies relatively close to the Sun, at an estimated distance of 24.8 light-years (7.6 parsecs ). To an observer on Earth the star is visually separated from its larger companion Fomalhaut (A) by 2 degrees—the width of four full moons. [9]
The name TW Piscis Austrini is a variable star designation. This is a variable star of the type known as a BY Draconis variable, with surface brightness variations causing the changes as the star rotates. It varies slightly in apparent magnitude, ranging from 6.44 to 6.51 over a 10.3-day period. [2]
TW Piscis Austrini lies within a light-year of Fomalhaut. [11] Due to sharing the same proper motion, and the same estimated age of approximately 440 ± 40 million years, astronomers now consider them to be elements of a multiple star system. [5] A third star, dimmer and more widely separated, Fomalhaut C, gives the system the widest visual separation, to observers from Earth, at approximately 6 degrees. [9]
In 2019, an exoplanet candidate around Fomalhaut B was detected by astrometry, but this remains unconfirmed. [12] [13]
Companion (in order from star) | Mass | Semimajor axis (AU) | Orbital period (years) | Eccentricity | Inclination | Radius |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
b(unconfirmed) | 1.2+0.7 −0.6 MJ | — | 25+52 −21 | — | — | — |
Piscis Austrinus is a constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere. The name is Latin for "the southern fish", in contrast with the larger constellation Pisces, which represents a pair of fish. Before the 20th century, it was also known as Piscis Notius. Piscis Austrinus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. The stars of the modern constellation Grus once formed the "tail" of Piscis Austrinus. In 1597, Petrus Plancius carved out a separate constellation and named it after the crane.
Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish, and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Piscis Austrini, which is an alternative form of α Piscis Austrini, and is abbreviated Alpha PsA or α PsA. This is a class A star on the main sequence approximately 25 light-years (7.7 pc) from the Sun as measured by the Hipparcos astrometry satellite. Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified.
Gliese 105 is a triple star system in the constellation of Cetus. It is located relatively near the Sun at a distance of 23.6 light-years. Despite this, even the brightest component is barely visible with the unaided eye (see Bortle scale). No planets have yet been detected around any of the stars in this system.
Chi Draconis is a magnitude 3.6 binary star in the constellation Draco. It also has the Flamsteed designation 44 Draconis. At a distance of 27 light years, it is one of the forty or so closest stars.
HD 113703, also known by the Bayer designation f Centauri, is a multiple star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. The combined apparent visual magnitude of this system is +4.71, which is sufficient to make it faintly visible to the naked eye. The distance to this system is approximately 400 light years based on parallax measurements. It is a member of the Lower Centaurus Crux subgroup of the Scorpius–Centaurus association.
HD 192310 is a star in the southern constellation of Capricornus. It is located in the solar neighborhood at a distance of 28.7 light-years, and is within the range of luminosity needed to be viewed from the Earth with the unaided eye. HD 192310 is suspected of being a variable star, but this is unconfirmed.
V429 Geminorum (BD+20°1790) is a young orange dwarf star in the constellation Gemini, located 90 light years away from the Sun. It is a BY Draconis variable, a cool dwarf which varies rapidly in brightness as it rotates.
Eta Piscis Austrini is binary star system in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. As of 2000, the two components had an angular separation of 1.818 arc seconds along a position angle of 113.4°. The pair have a combined apparent visual magnitude of +5.43, which is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 3.99 mas as seen from the Earth, the system is located roughly 820 light years from the Sun.
Delta Coronae Borealis, Latinized from δ Coronae Borealis, is a variable star in the constellation Corona Borealis. Its apparent magnitude varies regularly between apparent magnitude 4.57 and 4.69, and it is around 170 light-years distant.
Sigma Ophiuchi, Latinized from σ Ophiuchi, is a single, orange-hued star in the equatorial constellation Ophiuchus. Its apparent visual magnitude is 4.31, which is bright enough to be faintly visible to the naked eye. The annual parallax shift of 3.62 mas as seen from Earth provides a distance estimate of roughly 900 light years. It is moving closer to the Sun with a radial velocity of −28 km/s.
QZ Puppis is a class B2.5V star in the constellation Puppis. Its apparent magnitude is 4.5 and it is approximately 650 light years away based on parallax.
V1073 Scorpii is a variable star in the constellation Scorpius. It has a non-Greek Bayer designation of k Scorpii. The star has a blue-white hue and is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude that fluctuates around +4.87. Parallax measurements yield a distance estimate of approximately 2,920 ly (896 pc) from the Sun, and it is drifting further away with a radial velocity of +7 km/s. It has an absolute magnitude of −6.8
9 Persei is a single variable star in the northern constellation Perseus, located around 4,300 light years away from the Sun. It has the Bayer designation i Persei; 9 Persei is the Flamsteed designation. This body is visible to the naked eye as a faint, white-hued star with an apparent visual magnitude of about 5.2. It is moving closer to the Sun with a heliocentric radial velocity of −15.2 km/s. The star is a member of the Perseus OB1 association of co-moving stars.
10 Persei is a blue supergiant star in the constellation Perseus. Its apparent magnitude is 6.26 although it is slightly variable.
Gliese 908 is a red dwarf star, located in constellation Pisces at 19.3 light-years from Earth. It is a BY Draconis variable star with a variable star designation of BR Piscium. Its apparent magnitude varies between magnitude 8.93 and magnitude 9.03 as a result of starspots and varying chromospheric activity.
Gliese 402 is a star located 22.7 light years from the Solar System. Located in the constellation of Leo, it is also known as Wolf 358 from its entry in Max Wolf's star catalogue. The stars nearest to Gliese 402 are Gliese 393, at 3.43 light years, Gliese 408, at 6.26 light years, and Gliese 382 at 6.66 light years.
HD 65750, also known as V341 Carinae is a bright red giant star in the constellation Carina. It is surrounded by a prominent reflection nebula, known as IC 2220, nicknamed the Toby Jug Nebula.
S Cassiopeiae is a Mira variable and S-type star in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is an unusually cool star, rapidly losing mass and surrounded by dense gas and dust producing masers.
8 Draconis, formally named Taiyi, is a single star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Draco. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 34.14 mas as seen from the Earth, the star is located approximately 96 light-years from the Sun. It is moving further away with a heliocentric radial velocity of +9 km/s, having come within 40.6 ly some 2.6 million years ago.
HD 150193 is a binary star system in the constellation of Ophiuchus. The primary star was identified as a Herbig Ae/Be star with a strong solar wind, losing approximately a tenth of solar mass per million years. It does host a very small debris disk, likely due to disk truncation by the nearby stellar companion. The disk is inclined 38±9° to the plane of sky. It appears to be highly evolved and asymmetric, with indications of flattening and grains growth.
Though it may appear isolated in the barren October sky, Fomalhaut has company. It feels the gravitational tug of the magnitude +6.5 star TW Piscis Austrini, 2° to the south. Both are 25 light-years distant and move in tandem across space, partaking of the same proper motion. They form a true double star with an actual separation of 5.5 trillion miles, or 0.91 light-year.
Believe it or not, an extrasolar planet might also be circling TW Piscis Austrini. NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a space telescope that's searching for planets around the brightest stars in Earth's night sky, recently found a possible candidate circling this star. It's almost the same size as our Earth, and orbits the star about every 10 days at a distance of 7.5 million miles from it.