Wolf 359
Red dwarf in the constellation Leo / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wolf 359 is a red dwarf star located in the constellation Leo, near the ecliptic. At a distance of 7.86 light-years (2.41 parsecs) from Earth, it has an apparent magnitude of 13.54 and can only be seen with a large telescope. Wolf 359 is one of the nearest stars to the Sun; only the Alpha Centauri system (including Proxima Centauri), Barnard's Star, and the brown dwarfs Luhman 16 (WISE 1049-5319) and WISE 0855−0714 are known to be closer. Its proximity to Earth has led to its mention in several works of fiction.[citation needed]
Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Leo |
Right ascension | 10h 56m 28.92087s[1] |
Declination | +07° 00′ 53.0033″[1] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 13.507[2] |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | M6V[3] |
Apparent magnitude (J) | 7.1[4] |
Apparent magnitude (K) | 6.1[4] |
U−B color index | +1.165[2] |
B−V color index | +2.034[2] |
Variable type | UV Ceti[5] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | +19±1[6] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: −3,866.338 mas/yr[1] Dec.: −2,699.215 mas/yr[1] |
Parallax (π) | 415.1794 ± 0.0684 mas[1] |
Distance | 7.856 ± 0.001 ly (2.4086 ± 0.0004 pc) |
Absolute magnitude (MV) | 16.614[7] |
Details | |
Mass | 0.110±0.003[8] M☉ |
Radius | 0.144±0.004[8] R☉ |
Luminosity | 0.00106 ± 0.00002[8] L☉ |
Habitable zone inner limit | 0.024[9] AU |
Habitable zone outer limit | 0.052[9] AU |
Surface gravity (log g) | 5.5[10] cgs |
Temperature | 2,749+44 −41[8] K |
Metallicity [Fe/H] | +0.25[11] dex |
Rotation | 2.704±0.003 d[12] |
Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 2.9±0.8[13] km/s |
Age | 0.1-1.5[14] Gyr |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
Wolf 359 is shown near the ecliptic in the southern region of Leo. |
Wolf 359 is one of the faintest and least-massive nearby stars known. At the light-emitting layer called the photosphere, it has a temperature of ~2,800 K, low enough for chemical compounds to form and survive. The absorption lines of compounds such as water and titanium(II) oxide have been observed in its spectrum.[16] The star's surface has a magnetic field hundreds of times as strong as that of the Sun, generated by its thorough internal convection. As a result of this significant magnetic activity, Wolf 359 is a flare star that can undergo sudden and great increases in luminosity, which can persist for several minutes. These flares emit strong bursts of X-ray and gamma ray radiation that have been observed by space telescopes. It is a relatively young star with an estimated age of less than a billion years. No planetary companions for Wolf 359 have been confirmed so far, though there is one unverified candidate, and as yet no debris disks have been found.[14]