41 Aurigae (41 Aurigae B) Star Facts
41 Aurigae Facts
41 Aurigae's star type is main sequence star that can be located in the constellation of Auriga. The description is based on the spectral class.
41 Aurigae is not part of the constellation outline but is within the borders of the constellation.
Based on the spectral type (A3V+...) of the star, the star's colour is blue .
The star can be seen with the naked eye, that is, you don't need a telescope/binoculars to see it.
Using the most recent figures given by the 2007 Hipparcos data, the star is 334.18 light years away from us. Distance
41 Aurigae's Alternative Names
The Id of the star in the Yale Bright Star Catalogue is HR2175. HIP29388 is the reference name for the star in the Hipparcos Star Catalogue. The Id of the star in the Henry Draper catalogue is HD42126.
Flamsteed designations are named after the creator, Sir John Flamsteed. Sir John numbered the stars in the constellation with a number and the latin name, this star's Flamsteed designation is 41 Aurigae B with it shortened to 41 Aur B.
BD number is the number that the star was filed under in the Durchmusterung or Bonner Durchmusterung, a star catalogue that was put together by the Bonn Observatory between 1859 to 1903. The star's BD Number is BD+48 1352.
More details on objects' alternative names can be found at Star Names .
Location of 41 Aurigae
The location of the main sequence star in the night sky is determined by the Right Ascension (R.A.) and Declination (Dec.), these are equivalent to the Longitude and Latitude on the Earth. The Right Ascension is how far expressed in time (hh:mm:ss) the star is along the celestial equator. If the R.A. is positive then its eastwards. The Declination is how far north or south the object is compared to the celestial equator and is expressed in degrees. For 41 Aurigae, the location is 06h 11m 36.58 and +48° 42` 40.0 .
Radial Velocity and Proper Motion of 41 Aurigae
Proper Motion
All stars like planets orbit round a central spot, in the case of planets, its the central star such as the Sun. In the case of a star, its the galactic centre. The constellations that we see today will be different than they were 50,000 years ago or 50,000 years from now. Proper Motion details the movements of these stars and are measured in milliarcseconds. The star is moving -56.65 ± 0.30 milliarcseconds/year towards the north and 14.77 ± 0.64 milliarcseconds/year east if we saw them in the horizon.
Radial Velocity
The Radial Velocity, that is the speed at which the star is moving away/towards the Sun is 31.00 km/s with an error of about 4.30 km/s . When the value is negative then the star and the Sun are getting closer to one another, likewise, a positive number means that two stars are moving away. Its nothing to fear as the stars are so far apart, they won't collide in our life-time, if ever.
41 Aurigae Luminosity
Luminosity is the amount of energy that a star pumps out and its relative to the amount that our star, the Sun gives out. The figure of 43.15 that I have given is based on the value in the Simbad Hipparcos Extended Catalogue at the University of Strasbourg from 2012.
Physical Properties (Colour, Temperature) of 41 Aurigae
41 Aurigae Colour and Temperature
41 Aurigae has a spectral type of A3V+.... This means the star is a blue main sequence star. The star has a B-V Colour Index of 0.1 which means the star's temperature has been calculated using information from Morgans @ Uni.edu at being 8,455 Kelvin.
41 Aurigae Radius
Radius has been calculated as being 2.90 times bigger than the Sun. The Sun's radius is 695,800km, therefore the star's radius is an estimated 2,019,072.75.km. If you need the diameter of the star, you just need to multiple the radius by 2. However with the 2007 release of updated Hipparcos files, the radius is now calculated at being round 3.11. The figure is derived at by using the formula from SDSS and has been known to produce widely incorrect figures.
41 Aurigae Apparent and Absolute Magnitudes
41 Aurigae has an apparent magnitude of 5.78 which is how bright we see the star from Earth. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude. If you used the 1997 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude of 0.88 If you used the 2007 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude of 0.73. Magnitude, whether it be apparent/visual or absolute magnitude is measured by a number, the smaller the number, the brighter the Star is. Our own Sun is the brightest star and therefore has the lowest of all magnitudes, -26.74. A faint star will have a high number.
Distance to 41 Aurigae
Using the original Hipparcos data that was released in 1997, the parallax to the star was given as 10.49 which gave the calculated distance to 41 Aurigae as 310.93 light years away from Earth or 95.33 parsecs. It would take a spaceship travelling at the speed of light, 310.93 years to get there. We don't have the technology or spaceship that can carry people over that distance yet.
In 2007, Hipparcos data was revised with a new parallax of 9.76 which put 41 Aurigae at a distance of 334.18 light years or 102.46 parsecs. It should not be taken as though the star is moving closer or further away from us. It is purely that the distance was recalculated.
Using the 2007 distance, the star is roughly 21,133,744.79 Astronomical Units from the Earth/Sun give or take a few. An Astronomical Unit is the distance between Earth and the Sun. The number of A.U. is the number of times that the star is from the Earth compared to the Sun.
The star's Galacto-Centric Distance is 7,496.00 Parsecs or 24,449.20 Light Years. The Galacto-Centric Distance is the distance from the star to the Centre of the Galaxy which is Sagittarius A*.
The source of the information if it has a Hip I.D. is from Simbad, the Hipparcos data library based at the University at Strasbourg, France. Hipparcos was a E.S.A. satellite operation launched in 1989 for four years. The items in red are values that I've calculated so they could well be wrong. Information regarding Metallicity and/or Mass is from the E.U. Exoplanets. The information was obtained as of 12th Feb 2017.
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Additional 41 Aurigae Facts and Figures
Visual Facts
Primary / Proper / Traditional Name 41 Aurigae
Alternative Names HD 42126, HIP 29388, HR 2175, 41 Aurigae B, 41 Aur B, BD+48 1352
Spectral Type A3V+...
Constellation's Main Star No
Multiple Star System Yes
Star Type Main Sequence Dwarf Star
Galaxy Milky Way
Constellation Auriga
Absolute Magnitude 0.88 / 0.73
Visual / Apparent Magnitude 5.78
Naked Eye Visible Yes - Magnitudes
Right Ascension (R.A.) 06h 11m 36.58
Declination (Dec.) +48° 42` 40.0
Galactic Latitude 13.95 degrees
Galactic Longitude 164.97 degrees
1997 Distance from Earth 10.49 Parallax (milliarcseconds)
310.93 Light Years
95.33 Parsecs
2007 Distance from Earth 9.76 Parallax (milliarcseconds)
102.46 Parsecs
21,133,744.79 Astronomical Units
Galacto-Centric Distance 24,449.20 Light Years / 7,496.00 Parsecs
Proper Motion Dec. -56.65 ± 0.30 milliarcseconds/year
Proper Motion RA. 14.77 ± 0.64 milliarcseconds/year
B-V Index 0.10
Radial Velocity 31.00 ± 4.30 km/s
Eccentricity 0.12
Semi-Major Axis 7414.00
Stellar Luminosity (Lsun) 43.15
Companions (Multi-Star and Exoplanets) Facts
Exoplanet Count None/Unaware
Estimated Calculated Facts
Radius (x the Sun) 3.11
Effective Temperature 8,455 Kelvin
Sources and Links
SIMBAD Source Link
Multi-Star System
The star has been identified as being a multi-star system, one in which there is at least one star in close orbit to another star or two or more stars orbiting a central point. The stars may be of equal mass, unequal mass where one star is stronger than the other or be in groups orbiting a central point which doesn't necessarily have to be a star. More information can be found on my dedicated multiple star systems page. The source of the info is Simbad. The file is dated 2000 so any differences between this and any other source will be down to the actual source from where the information came from.
Proper Motion mas/yr
H.D. Id B.D. Id Star Code Magnitude R.A. Dec. Spectrum Colour Year
42127 +48 1352.0 A 6.10000 13.00000 -58.00000 A0 White
42126 B 6.80000 17.00000 -60.00000 A0 White 1957
Capella (Alpha Aurigae)
Menkalinan (Beta Aurigae)
Delta Aurigae (Delta Aurigae)
Almaaz (Epsilon Aurigae)
Saclateni (Zeta Aurigae)
12 Aurigae
25 Camelopardalis