58 Eridani
Encyclopedia
58 Eridani is a main sequence
star
in the constellation
Eridanus
. It is considered a solar analogue, which means it has similar physical properties to the Sun
. The star has a relatively high proper motion
across the sky, and it is located about 44 light years distant.
The X-ray
emissions from this star's corona
indicate an age of less than a billion (109) years, compared to 4.6 billion for the Sun, so it is still relatively young for a star of its mass. Starspot
activity has also been detected, which varies from year to year.
A circumstellar disc of dust particles has been detected
in orbit around 58 Eridani.
Main sequence
The main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell...
star
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...
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....
Eridanus
Eridanus (constellation)
Eridanus is a constellation. It is represented as a river; its name is the Ancient Greek name for the Po River. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is the sixth largest of the modern...
. It is considered a solar analogue, which means it has similar physical properties to 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...
. The star has a relatively high proper motion
Proper motion
The proper motion of a star is its angular change in position over time as seen from the center of mass of the solar system. It is measured in seconds of arc per year, arcsec/yr, where 3600 arcseconds equal one degree. This contrasts with radial velocity, which is the time rate of change in...
across the sky, and it is located about 44 light years distant.
The X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
emissions from this star's corona
Corona
A corona is a type of plasma "atmosphere" of the Sun or other celestial body, extending millions of kilometers into space, most easily seen during a total solar eclipse, but also observable in a coronagraph...
indicate an age of less than a billion (109) years, compared to 4.6 billion for the Sun, so it is still relatively young for a star of its mass. Starspot
Starspot
Starspots are equivalent to sunspots but located on other stars. Spots the size of sunspots are very hard to detect since they are too small to cause fluctuations in brightness...
activity has also been detected, which varies from year to year.
A circumstellar disc of dust particles has been detected
in orbit around 58 Eridani.