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Stars in Boötes

Nekkar, a yellow giant star in Boötes

Nekkar is a yellow giant star in the constellation Boötes. At 225 light years away, it is the 283rd brightest star in the Earth's sky, where it shines at an apparent visual magnitude of 3.49.

Ashland Astronomy Studio Star

Nekkar (HIP 73555)

Nekkar is a yellow giant star in the constellation Boötes. At 225 light years away, it is the 283rd brightest star in the Earth's sky, where it shines at an apparent visual magnitude of 3.49. The iron abundance of Nekkar is +0.03 (107.2% of the Sun). It is moving through the Galaxy at a speed of 24.5 km/s relative to the Sun. Its projected Galactic orbit carries it between 20,400 and 24,400 light years from the center of the Galaxy. It will come closest to the Sun 2.1 million years from now when it will brighten to magnitude 2.59 from a distance of 149 light years.

Sky position: RA 15h 1.9m, Dec +40° 23.4'

Common designations: Nekkar, Beta Boötis, 42 Boötis, HIP 73555, HD 133208, HR 5602

Learn how to find naked-eye stars with:

Stars of the Northern Hemisphere
Deluxe Astronomy Poster Brightest stars in Boötes:
(list all)

1

| -0.05

) Arcturus

RankMag.Star
22.35Izar
32.68Mufrid
43.04Seginus
53.46Princeps

6

| 3.49

) Nekkar

RankMag.Star
73.57Rho Boötis
83.78Zeta Boötis
94.04Asellus Primus
104.05Upsilon Boötis
114.18Lambda Boötis
124.31Alkalurops
134.47Sigma Boötis
144.49Pi-1 Boötis
154.50Tau Boötis
164.52Psi Boötis
174.53Asellus Tertius
Location of Nekkar circled Map detail from Stars of the Northern Hemisphere
Hover over other bright stars to identify or click to jump.

Galactic Orbit of Nekkar

(compared to the Sun)

E

ccentricity: 8.9% vs. 16.0%

Angle φ : 151.2°vs. 26.0°

Semi-major axis : 6,865 pc vs. 8,686 pc

Semi-minor axis: 6,837 pc vs. 8,574 pc

Focus-to-center

: 612 pcvs. 1,388 pc

Semilatus rectum : 6,810 pc vs. 8,464 pc

Perigalacticon: 6,253 pc vs. 7,297 pc

Apogalacticon

: 7,477 pcvs. 10,074 pc
  Some Tabulated XHIP Data for Nekkar
(see also: SIMBAD)

Astrometry
2007A&A...474..653V

Position Proper Motion
Right Ascension: 225.48663804° ±0.11 mas -40.16 ±0.12 mas/yr.
Declination: 40.39063698° ±0.11 mas -28.80 ±0.13 mas/yr.
Galactic Longitude: 67.61908333° -16.55 mas/yr.
Galactic Latitude: 60.03861612° 46.57 mas/yr.

Parallax: 14.48 ± 0.14 mas

Spectrography

Spectral Type: G8IIIa Fe-0.5 1989ApJS...71..245K.

Radial Velocity: -18.40 ±0.16 km/s [A rating] 2008A&A...480...91S, 2006AstL...32..759G.

Iron Abundance [Fe/H]: 0.03 dex  2011A&A...525A..71W, 2008A&A...480...91S, 2007A&A...475.1003H, 1990ApJS...74.1075M.
 


Photometry
 
band magnitude Abs. Mag.
U
B 4.45 0.25
V 3.49 -0.71
R
I 2.70 -1.50
J 1.80 -2.40
H 1.27 -2.93
K 1.22 -2.97

B-V: +0.96 V-I: +0.79

Derivations

Heliocentric distance: 69.05 pc (1.0% margin of error)

Galactocentric distance: 7,387 pc

Transverse velocity: 16.2 km/s

3D heliocentric position and motion:

toward:   

Galactic center Galactic rotation North Galactic Pole
Position ( X, Y, Z) 13.1 pc 31.9 pc 59.8 pc
Velocity (U, V, W) -3.5 km/s -22.8 km/s -8.3 km/s

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