HD 54893

This article is about A Puppis. For a Puppis, see HD 64440.

HD 54893, often called A Puppis is a suspected variable star in the constellation Puppis. Its apparent magnitude is 4.83 and is approximately 860 light years away based on parallax.

HD 54893

Location of HD 54893 (circled)
Observation data Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation	Puppis
Right ascension	07h 08m 51.06814s[1]
Declination	−39° 39′ 20.3590″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	4.83[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type	B2IV-V[3]
U−B color index	−0.69[2]
B−V color index	−0.18[2]
Variable type	suspected β Cep[4]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	+19.50[5] km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: −10.577[1] mas/yr Dec.: +7.785[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)	3.7743±0.0894 mas[1]
Distance	860 ± 20 ly (265 ± 6 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	−2.05[6]
Details
Mass	6.3[1] M☉
Radius	7.0[1] R☉
Luminosity	2,389[1] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)	3.56[1] cgs
Temperature	15,974[1] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]	+0.20[1] dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)	42.8[7] km/s
Age	21.6[8] Myr
Other designations
A Puppis, 67 G. Puppis[9], NSV 3431, CD−39°3105, FK5 2551, GC 9463, HD 54893, HIP 34495, HR 2702, SAO 197632
Database references
SIMBAD	data

A light curve for HD 54893, plotted from TESS data^[10]

With a mass over six times that of the Sun, HD 54893 is a hot luminous star with an effective temperature of about 16,000 K and a bolometric luminosity of 2,400 L_☉. The spectral class of B2IV/V suggest it is on the border between the main sequence and the subgiant branch. Evolutionary models show it is towards the end of the main sequence at an age of about 22 million years.

In a 1971 paper, HD 54893 is mentioned as being a confirmed β Cephei variable, but with no explanation of when it was discovered.^[11] A 1971 thesis dedicated to β Cephei variables only mentions HD 54893 as a non-variable early B star.^[12] In a 1977 search for β Cephei stars, it is listed as possibly being variable.^[13] It is catalogued as a suspected variable star, but not confirmed.^[4]