In today's article we are going to talk about V538 Aurigae, a topic that has been of great interest in recent years. Since its emergence, V538 Aurigae has captured the attention of experts and hobbyists alike, generating debate, research, and numerous advances in the field. With a history that goes back many years, V538 Aurigae has evolved and adapted to social, cultural and technological changes, becoming a fundamental element in the lives of many people. Throughout this article, we will explore the various facets of V538 Aurigae, addressing its implications, applications, and its impact on today's society.
![]() A light curve for V538 Aurigae, plotted from TESS data.[1] The data was folded with the period of 10.86 days which was published by Gaidos et al. (2000).[2] | |
Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Auriga |
Right ascension | 05h 41m 20.33573s[3] |
Declination | +53° 28′ 51.8106″[3] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.25[4] |
Characteristics | |
Evolutionary stage | Main sequence |
Spectral type | K1 V[5] |
U−B color index | 0.50[4] |
B−V color index | 0.84[4] |
Variable type | BY Dra[6] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | 0.9[7] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: +2.784[3] mas/yr Dec.: −523.602[3] mas/yr |
Parallax (π) | 81.4300±0.0487 mas[3] |
Distance | 40.05 ± 0.02 ly (12.280 ± 0.007 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | 5.75[8] |
Details | |
Mass | 0.871[7] M☉ |
Radius | 0.82+0.02 −0.03[3] R☉ |
Luminosity | 0.478±0.001[3] L☉ |
Surface gravity (log g) | 4.55[7] cgs |
Temperature | 5,303+100 −63[3] K |
Metallicity | +0.16[9] dex |
Rotation | 11 days[9] |
Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 2.80[6] km/s |
Age | 3.76[7] Gyr |
Other designations | |
V538 Aur, BD+53°934, GJ 211, HD 37394, HIP 26779, HR 1925, WDS J05413+5329A[10] | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
V538 Aurigae is a single[11] star in the northern constellation of Auriga. With an apparent visual magnitude of 6.23, this star requires good dark sky conditions to view with the naked eye. It is located at a distance of 40.0 light-years (12.3 pc) from Sun based on parallax. The star is drifting further away with a radial velocity of 0.9 km/s.[7] It is a member of the Local Association,[5] and is most likely a thin disk star.[7]
Eric Gaidos et al. discovered that V538 Aurigae is a variable star based on observations by robotic telescopes[12] at Fairborn Observatory from 1993 through 1999, and they announced their discovery in 2000.[2] The star was given its variable star designation in 2006.[13] This is a BY Draconis variable,[6] which means it undergoes changes in luminosity because regions of pronounced surface magnetic activity are moved into and out of the line of sight from the Earth as the star rotates (once every 11 days).[9] It has a spectral class of K1 V, indicating that it is a K-type main sequence star.[5] The star has 87%[7] of the mass of the Sun and 82%[3] of the Sun's radius. It is an estimated 3.76 billion years old.[7] The star is radiating 48% of the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 5,303 K.[3]
It has a common proper motion companion designated Vys 465 (HD 233153),[14] which is a red dwarf with a class of M0.5V and a visual magnitude of 9.87. Their projected separation is 1,204 AU.[15]