Epsilon Cassiopeiae
Encyclopedia
Epsilon Cassiopeiae (ε Cas, ε Cassiopeiae) is a star system
in the constellation
Cassiopeia
. It has the traditional name Segin.
In Chinese
, , meaning Flying Corridor
, refers to an asterism consisting of ε Cassiopeiae, ι Cassiopeiae
, δ Cassiopeiae
, θ Cassiopeiae
, ν Cassiopeiae
and ο Cassiopeiae
. Consequently, ε Cassiopeiae itself is known as
While some published reports incorrectly claim that this star was designated by NASA as Navi, in honor of astronaut Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, one of the three astronauts who died in the Apollo 1
accident, the actual star so designated is Gamma Cassiopeiae
in the center of the constellation.
Epsilon is a single, blue-white B-type
giant
with a radius that is 7 times that of the Sun
giving it a luminosity that is 2,500 times solar. It has an apparent magnitude of +3.34 and is approximately 440 light years
from Earth
.
Star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems.-Binary star systems:A stellar...
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....
Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia (constellation)
Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopea was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today...
. It has the traditional name Segin.
In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, , meaning Flying Corridor
Legs (Chinese constellation)
The Legs mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.-Asterisms:...
, refers to an asterism consisting of ε Cassiopeiae, ι Cassiopeiae
Iota Cassiopeiae
Iota Cassiopeiae is a star system in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is approximately 141.6 light years from Earth....
, δ Cassiopeiae
Delta Cassiopeiae
Delta Cassiopeiae is a star in the constellation Cassiopeia. It has the traditional names Ksora and Ruchbah, derived from the Arabic word ركبة rukbah meaning "knee"...
, θ Cassiopeiae
Theta Cassiopeiae
Theta Cassiopeiae is a star in the constellation Cassiopeia. It has the traditional name Marfark or Marfak, which it shares with μ Cassiopeiae, and the name was from Al Marfik or Al Mirfaq , meaning "the elbow".In Chinese, , meaning Flying Corridor, refers to an asterism consisting of θ...
, ν Cassiopeiae
Nu Cassiopeiae
Nu Cassiopeiae is a star in the constellation Cassiopeia. ν Cassiopeiae is a blue-white B-type giant with an apparent magnitude of +4.90. It is approximately 390 light years from Earth....
and ο Cassiopeiae
Omicron Cassiopeiae
Omicron Cassiopeiae is a triple star system in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is approximately 910 light years from Earth....
. Consequently, ε Cassiopeiae itself is known as
While some published reports incorrectly claim that this star was designated by NASA as Navi, in honor of astronaut Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, one of the three astronauts who died in the Apollo 1
Apollo 1
Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned mission of the Apollo manned lunar landing program, with a target launch date of February 21, 1967. A cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27 at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members: Command Pilot Virgil "Gus"...
accident, the actual star so designated is Gamma Cassiopeiae
Gamma Cassiopeiae
Gamma Cassiopeiae is an eruptive variable star, whose brightness changes irregularly between +2.20 mag and +3.40 mag. It is the prototype of the Gamma Cassiopeiae variable stars. Although it is a fairly bright star, it has no traditional Arabic or Latin name...
in the center of the constellation.
Epsilon is a single, blue-white B-type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
giant
Giant star
A giant star is a star with substantially larger radius and luminosity than a main sequence star of the same surface temperature. Typically, giant stars have radii between 10 and 100 solar radii and luminosities between 10 and 1,000 times that of the Sun. Stars still more luminous than giants are...
with a radius that is 7 times 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...
giving it a luminosity that is 2,500 times solar. It has an apparent magnitude of +3.34 and is approximately 440 light years
Light Years
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.