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Mu Canis Majoris
Star in the constellation Canis Major From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mu Canis Majoris is a binary star[2] system in the southern constellation of Canis Major. The pair can be located a little to the southwest of the point midway between Gamma and Theta Canis Majoris,[13] and the components can be split with a small telescope.[14] Their name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from μ Canis Majoris, and abbreviated as Mu CMa or μ CMa. The system is faintly visible to the naked eye with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 5.12.[2] Based upon an annual parallax shift of 3.42 mas as seen from Earth,[1] this system is located roughly 950–960 light years from the Sun.
Grotius assigned the name Isis to this star, but the name, now obsolete, belonged rather to Gamma Canis Majoris.[15]
As of 2011, the pair had an angular separation of 2.77 arc seconds along a position angle of 343.9°.[16] The orange-hued primary member, component A, is an evolved K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K2/3 III[4] and a visual magnitude of 5.27.[2] It has 5.4 times the mass, 80 times the radius, and 1,660 times the luminosity of the Sun.[1] The base magnitude 7.32[2] companion, component B, is a hybrid B/A-type main-sequence star with a class of B9/A0 V.[4] It has 1.6 times the mass of the Sun and is the hotter star, having an effective temperature of 5,034 K,[10] compared to 4,123 K for the primary.[8]
The system has two visual companions. As of 2008, magnitude 10.32 component C lies at an angular separation of 86.90″, while magnitude 10.64 component D is at a separation of 105.0″.[17] Mu CMa should not be confused with the 9th magnitude variable star MU CMa located near NGC 2360.[18]
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