Beta Indi

Beta Indi, Latinized from β Indi, is the second brightest star in the southern constellation of Indus.^[10] It is visible to the naked eye as a faint, orange-hued point of light with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.67.^[2] The star is located approximately 600 light years from the Sun, based on parallax, but is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −5 km/s.^[2]

Beta Indi

Observation data Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation	Indus
Right ascension	20h 54m 48.60278s[1]
Declination	−58° 27′ 14.9618″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	3.67[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type	K1II[3] or K0III[4]
U−B color index	+1.23[5]
B−V color index	+1.250±0.015[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	−4.9±0.7[2] km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: 21.06[1] mas/yr Dec.: −24.75[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)	5.41±0.73 mas[1]
Distance	approx. 600 ly (approx. 180 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	−2.664[6]
Details
Mass	6.7±0.4[7] M☉
Radius	55.58+9.35 −5.02[8] R☉
Luminosity	1,183±58[8] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)	0.800[9] cgs
Temperature	4,541+220 −334[8] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]	−0.06[9] dex
Age	53.2±10.0[7] Myr
Other designations
B 2847A, β Ind, CD−58°7788, FK5 785, HD 198700, HIP 103227, HR 7986, SAO 246784, WDS 20548-5827A[10]
Database references
SIMBAD	data

The stellar classification of this star is K1II,^[3] matching an evolved bright giant. Earlier it had been categorized as an ordinary giant with a class of K0III.^[4] It is a hybrid giant with both a hot stellar corona and cool stellar winds, and is a weak X-ray source with a flux measured at (11±1)×10⁻¹⁴ ergs cm⁻¹ s⁻¹.^[11] Having consumed the supply of hydrogen at its core, this star has expanded off the main sequence and now has about 56^[8] times the girth of the Sun. It is 53 million years old with 6.7 times the mass of the Sun.^[7] The star is radiating 1,183 times the Sun's luminosity from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,541 K.^[8]

β Indi has a visual companion, CCDM J20548-5827B, with an apparent visual magnitude of approximately 12.5. As of 2015, it lies at an angular separation of 17.2″ along a position angle of 100° from the brighter component.^[12]