Lambda Mensae

Lambda Mensae, Latinized from λ Mensae, is an orange-hued star in the southern constellation of Mensa. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 6.53,^[2] which places it at or near the limit on stars visible to the naked eye. According to the Bortle scale, it requires a dark night from rural skies for this star to be viewed. Though it has the designation Lambda, it is actually the twenty-fourth-brightest star in the constellation and not the eleventh-brightest.

Lambda Mensae

Observation data Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation	Mensa
Right ascension	05h 47m 48.13340s[1]
Declination	−72° 42′ 08.0993″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	6.53[2]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage	red clump[3]
Spectral type	K0 III[4]
Apparent magnitude (B)	7.614[5]
Apparent magnitude (J)	4.820[3]
Apparent magnitude (H)	4.163[3]
Apparent magnitude (K)	4.119[3]
U−B color index	+0.97[2]
B−V color index	+1.08[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	15.35±0.13[6] km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: -7.013[6] mas/yr Dec.: +24.451[6] mas/yr
Parallax (π)	6.9890±0.0139 mas[6]
Distance	466.7 ± 0.9 ly (143.1 ± 0.3 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	+0.84[7]
Details
Radius	10[8] R☉
Luminosity	54[9] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)	2.43[10] cgs
Temperature	4,713[10] K
Other designations
λ Men, CPD−72°289, HD 39810, HIP 27369, HR 2062, SAO 256239, 2MASS J05474813-7242080[11]
Database references
SIMBAD	data

This is an evolved K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K0 III.^[4] It is a red clump star, which means it is generating energy through helium fusion at its core.^[3] The measured angular diameter is 0.68±0.01 mas.^[12] At an estimated distance of the star, this yields a physical size of about 10 times the radius of the Sun.^[8] It is radiating 54^[9] times the Sun's luminosity from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,713 K.^[10]