Mu Fornacis

μ Fornacis (Latinised as Mu Fornacis) is a star in the southern constellation of Fornax. With an apparent visual magnitude of 5.27,^[2] it is visible to the naked eye. The distance to this star, as determined by its annual parallax shift of 10.18 mas,^[1] is around 320 light years.

Mu Fornacis

Observation data Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation	Fornax
Right ascension	02h 12m 54.46962s[1]
Declination	−30° 43′ 25.7732″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	5.27[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type	A0 V[3]
U−B color index	−0.06[2]
B−V color index	−0.02[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	10.0±3.7[4] km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: +14.10[1] mas/yr Dec.: +6.85[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)	10.18±0.24 mas[1]
Distance	320 ± 8 ly (98 ± 2 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	+0.31[5]
Details[6]
Mass	2.55±0.34 M☉
Radius	2.9±0.1 R☉
Luminosity	75±4 L☉
Surface gravity (log g)	3.92±0.06 cgs
Temperature	9,977±136 K
Rotational velocity (v sin i)	320[3] km/s
Age	188[7] Myr
Other designations
μ For, CD−31°882, FK5 78, GJ 89, HD 13709, HIP 10320, HR 652, SAO 193573[8]
Database references
SIMBAD	data

This is an A-type main sequence star with a stellar classification of A0 V.^[3] It is a Be star that displays "central quasi emission" (CQE) bumps in its spectrum due to a surrounding shell of material.^[9] The star has an estimated 2.6 times the mass of the Sun and 2.9 times the Sun's radius.^[6] Mu Fornacis is spinning rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of 320 km/s^[3] and is around 188 million years old.^[7] It radiates 75 times the solar luminosity from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 9,977 K.^[6]

Mu Fornacis appears to be emitting an infrared excess at a wavelength of 22 μm, which could be due to an orbiting debris disk.^[10]