Kappa Virginis (κ Virginis, abbreviated Kappa Vir, κ Vir), officially named Kang /ˈkæŋ/,[8] is a solitary star in the zodiac constellationofVirgo. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.18,[2] which is sufficiently bright to be seen with the naked eye. Based upon stellar parallax measurements, the distance to this star is about 255 light-years.
| |
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 14h12m 53.74538s[1] |
| Declination | −10° 16′ 25.3340″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 4.180[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | K2/3 III[3] |
| U−B color index | +1.457[2] |
| B−V color index | +1.343[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | −4.38±0.21[4] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: +7.25[1] mas/yr Dec.: +139.88[1] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 12.80 ± 0.25 mas[1] |
| Distance | 255 ± 5 ly (78 ± 2 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | −0.28[5] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 1.46±0.04[6] M☉ |
| Radius | 25.41±0.74[6] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 229[6] L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 1.83±0.08[6] cgs |
| Temperature | 4,235±20[6] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.43±0.04[6] dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 5.1[4] km/s |
| Age | 9.67±0.97[6] Gyr |
| Other designations | |
Kang, 98 Virginis, κ Vir, BD−09°3878, FK5 523, HD 124294, HIP 69427, HR 5315, SAO 158427[7] | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
κ Virginis (LatinisedtoKappa Virginis) is the star's Bayer designation.
InChinese, 亢宿 (Kàng Sù), meaning Neck, refers to an asterism consisting of Kappa Virginis, Iota Virginis, Phi Virginis and Lambda Virginis.[9] Consequently, Kappa Virginis itself is known as 亢宿一 (Káng Sù yī), "the First Star of Neck".[10]
In 2016, the IAU organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[11] to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Kang for this star on 30 June and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.[8]
This is an orange-hued K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K2/3 III.[3] It has about 146% of the mass of the Sun, but at an estimated age of 9.7 billion years it has evolved and expanded to over 25 times the Sun's radius. As a consequence, it shines with around 229 times the solar luminosity. The effective temperature of the star's outer atmosphere is 4,235 K.[6]
