Chi Draconis
Encyclopedia
Chi Draconis is a star
system in the constellation
Draco
.
The first companion is a yellow-white (class F) fourth-magnitude star with a mass approximately equal to that of the sun
, but it is nearly twice as luminous. The second companion is an orange (class K) sixth-magnitude star, that is less massive and of lesser luminosity
than the sun. In 1898 this system was reported to be a spectroscopic binary system, with an orbital period of 280.55 days. The two stars have an average separation of nearly an astronomical unit
, which would disrupt the orbit of any Earth-like planet that was close enough to the primary to support liquid water. The two stars have less than half the abundance of heavy elements as the Sun
and are approximately a billion years older.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
system in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Draco
Draco (constellation)
Draco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. Draco is circumpolar for many observers in the northern hemisphere...
.
The first companion is a yellow-white (class F) fourth-magnitude star with a mass approximately equal to that of the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, but it is nearly twice as luminous. The second companion is an orange (class K) sixth-magnitude star, that is less massive and of lesser luminosity
Luminosity
Luminosity is a measurement of brightness.-In photometry and color imaging:In photometry, luminosity is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to luminance, which is the density of luminous intensity in a given direction. The SI unit for luminance is candela per square metre.The luminosity function...
than the sun. In 1898 this system was reported to be a spectroscopic binary system, with an orbital period of 280.55 days. The two stars have an average separation of nearly an astronomical unit
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
, which would disrupt the orbit of any Earth-like planet that was close enough to the primary to support liquid water. The two stars have less than half the abundance of heavy elements as the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
and are approximately a billion years older.
In fiction
- See Chi Draconis in fiction.
External links
- ARICNS
- Chi Draconis 2 at SolStation.
- nStars database entry