BD−17 63

BD−17 63 is a K-type main-sequence star in the southern constellation Cetus. It is a 10th magnitude star at a distance of 113 light-years from Earth.^[1] The star is rotating slowly with a negligible level of magnetic activity and an age of over 4 billion years.^[5]

BD-17 63/Felixvarela

Observation data Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation	Cetus
Right ascension	00h 28m 34.306s[1]
Declination	−16° 13′ 34.84″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	9.62[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type	K4V(k)[3]
Apparent magnitude (B)	10.748[2]
Apparent magnitude (J)	7.574±0.019[2]
Apparent magnitude (H)	7.027±0.033[2]
Apparent magnitude (K)	6.914±0.024[2]
B−V color index	1.128±0.010[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	2.93±0.15[1] km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: −354.939(22) mas/yr[1] Dec.: −227.995(15) mas/yr[1]
Parallax (π)	28.9723±0.0212 mas[1]
Distance	112.58 ± 0.08 ly (34.52 ± 0.03 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	6.86[2]
Details
Mass	0.72±0.01[4] M☉
Radius	0.70±0.01[4] R☉
Luminosity	0.212±0.001[4] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)	4.6±0.01[4] cgs
Temperature	4,692±9[4] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]	−0.03±0.06[5] dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)	1.5[5] km/s
Age	10.5±2.6 Gyr[4] 4.3±4[5] Gyr
Other designations
Felixvarela, HIP 2247, SAO 147293, PPM 208851, 2MASS J00283433-1613343[6]
Database references
SIMBAD	data
Exoplanet Archive	data

The star BD-17 63 is named Felixvarela. The name was selected in the NameExoWorlds campaign by Cuba, during the 100th anniversary of the IAU. Felix Varela (1788–1853) was the first to teach science in Cuba.^[7][8]

Planetary system

In October 2008 an exoplanet, BD−17 63 b, was reported to be orbiting this star on an eccentric orbit. This object was detected using the radial velocity method by search programs conducted using the HARPS spectrograph.^[5] An astrometric measurement of the planet's inclination and true mass was published in 2022 as part of Gaia DR3,^[9][10] with another astrometric orbital solution published in 2023.^[11]

The BD−17 63 planetary system^[11]

Companion (in order from star)	Mass	Semimajor axis (AU)	Orbital period (days)	Eccentricity	Inclination	Radius
b / Finlay	5.325±0.036 MJ	1.361±0.021	655.641+0.070 −0.076	0.5455±0.0025	82.4+2.8 −2.0°	—

See also

• List of extrasolar planets