6 Equulei is a main sequence star located in the constellation of Equuleus, The Horse. It is not part of the Equuleus constellation outline but is within the borders of the constellation.
Based on the spectral type (A2Vs), 6 Equulei colour is blue - white, although not the hottest stars, they are considerably hotter than our own star which is white.
6 Equulei temperature is in the range of between 7,500 and 10,000 Kelvin. 6 Equulei effective temperature is 9,339 Kelvin which is hotter than the Sun's effective temperature, which is 5,777 Kelvin. Based on a parallax of 7.36, 6 Equulei distance from Earth can be calculated at being 443.16 light years away or 146.84 parsecs.
6 Equulei is a naked-eye star, so you don't need a telescope or binoculars when you look up on a clear night. The lower the magnitude, the easier it will be to see it.
Location
The location of the 6 Equulei in the night sky is determined by the right ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.). These are equivalent to the Longitude and Latitude on Earth. The Right Ascension (Longitude) is expressed in time (hh:mm:ss) and is how far the star is along Earth's celestial equator. If the R.A. is positive, then it's eastwards and vice versa.
The Declination (Latitude) is how far north or south the object is compared to the celestial equator and is expressed in degrees. If the value is positive, it is north of the celestial equator. For 6 Equulei, the location is 21h 10m 31.31 and +10° 02` 56.0 .
Based on the location of Equuleus, 6 Equulei can be located in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sky. The celestial hemisphere is equivalent to the hemispheres on Earth. 6 Equulei is north of the Ecliptic. The Ecliptic is the path that the Earth takes as it orbits the Sun. As the Earth is titled, we therefore have Celestial and Ecliptic hemispheres and they can be different for a star.
Physical Properties
Spectral Type
6 Equulei spectral type of A2Vs which means its colour and type is blue - white main sequence star. There is no relationship between colour and size. For example, a red star can be large or small. Small stars are more energy efficient than larger stars and live longer.
6 Equulei Luminosity
Luminosity is the amount of energy a star pumps out relative to the amount that our star, the Sun, gives out. Our star, the Sun's value is 1. 6 Equulei Luminosity figure of 63.11 comes from the Vizier online catalogue. The star generates more energy than our star.
6 Equulei Surface Gravity
The Surface Gravity of 6 Equulei as measured in CGS (Centimeter-Gram-Second) is 3.738. The gravity has a relationship to its mass and radius. The larger the mass, the larger the gravity. 6 Equulei surface gravity has an uncertainty range of between - and +.
Magnitude (Apparent / Absolute / Visible)
A number represents a star’s magnitude, whether apparent/visual or absolute. The smaller the number, the brighter the star is. The Sun is the brightest star and therefore has the lowest of all magnitudes, -26.74. A faint star will have a high number.
6 Equulei apparent magnitude is 6.07, which is a measure of the star's brightness as seen from Earth. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude.
If you use the 1997 parallax value, 6 Equulei' absolute magnitude is 0.24. If you use the 2007 parallax value, 6 Equulei' absolute magnitude is 0.40. Absolute Magnitude is the star's apparent magnitude from 10 parsecs or 32.6 light years. The magnitude assumes nothing is between the object and the viewer, such as dust clouds. To compare different stars' actual brightness, you would best use Absolute rather than Apparent Magnitude.
6 Equulei is visible from Earth without needing binoculars or a telescope. The lower the Apparent Magnitude of a star or other object is, the easier it is to see in the night sky. An object with a magnitude greater than 6.5 cannot be seen without a telescope or other device.
Radial Velocity and Proper Motion
In simplistic terms, all non-rogue stars, like planets, orbit around a central object, although that is actually not true. Where is the centre of the Solar System. For simplicity it's the central star, such as the Sun. In the case of a star, it's the galactic centre. The constellations we see today will be different than they were 50,000 years ago or 50,000 years from now.
Proper motion details the movements of these stars and is measured in milliarcseconds. 6 Equulei is moving 16.4 ± 0.59 milliarcseconds/year towards the north and -0.5 ± 0.81 milliarcseconds/year east if we saw them in the horizon.
The radial velocity, the speed at which the 6 Equulei is moving away from the Sun, is 6.90000 km/s with an error of about 1.78 km/s . When the value is negative, the star and the Sun are getting closer to one another; likewise, a positive number means that two stars are moving away. It's nothing to fear as the stars are so far apart they won't collide in our lifetime, if ever.
6 Equulei Fact Table
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| Primary Name | 6 Equulei |
|---|---|
| Spectral Type | A2Vs |
| Star Type based on Spectral Type | Main Sequence Star |
| Colour | blue - white |
| Galaxy | Milky Way |
| Constellation | Equuleus |
| Main Star | No |
| Absolute Magnitude | 0.24 / 0.40 |
| Visual / Apparent Magnitude | 6.07 |
| Visible From Earth | Yes |
| Right Ascension (R.A.) | 21h 10m 31.31 |
| Declination (Dec.) | +10° 02` 56.0 |
| Galactic Latitude | -24.84772817 ° |
| Galactic Longitude | 59.88842805 ° |
| 1997 Distance from Earth | 6.81000 Parallax (milliarcseconds) |
| 478.95 Light Years | |
| 146.84 Parsecs | |
| 2007 Distance from Earth | 7.36000 Parallax (milliarcseconds) |
| 443.16 Light Years | |
| 135.87 Parsecs | |
| 28,025,003.944 Astronomical Units | |
| Galacto-Centric Distance | 23,940.389 Light Years / 7,340 Parsecs |
| Proper Motion Dec. | 16.40000 ± 0.59000 milliarcseconds/year |
| Proper Motion RA. | -0.50000 ± 0.81000 milliarcseconds/year |
| B-V Index | 0.02 |
| Radial Velocity | 6.90000 ± 1.78 km/s |
| Eccentricity | 0.25990 |
| Semi-Major Axis | 9561.0000000 |
| Luminosity (Lsun) | 63.1100000 |
| Effective Temp. (Kelvin) | 9,339 |
| Surface Gravity (cgs) | 3.738 |
Sources and Links
| Modified Date | 13th June 2024 |
| Published Date | Jan 2015 |
| SIMBAD Source | Link |
| Source | Vizier, Vizier, |
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