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Proper NameNone
Bayer DesignationXi Cassiopeiae
Flamsteed Number19 Cassiopeiae
HR (BSC)179
HD3901
ConstellationCassiopeia
Right Ascension0h 42m 4s
Declination+50° 30' 45"
Distancec.1,100 light years
c.300 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +4.80
Absolute: -3.41
Spectral ClassB2V blue main sequence star
Optimum VisibilityOctober (Usually visible from northern latitudes)

A faint fifth magnitude star in the southern reaches of the constellation of Cassiopeia. Xi Cassiopeiae lies directly southward from the prominent 'W' shape of Cassiopeia's Chair, roughly halfway between that group of five stars and the Andromeda Galaxy to the south.

Xi Cassiopeiae is a blue dwarf star, somewhat larger and hotter than the Sun. It is highly luminous, generating some 2,000 times as much light as the Sun and about 16,000 times as much energy across the entire spectrum. For this reason it is faintly visible to the naked eye despite its great distance fron the Solar System of approximately 1,500 light years.

Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

This is an eruptive variable star, meaning that its brightness varies unpredictably due to violent events such as flares emitted from the star. Examination of its spectrum shows that Xi Cassiopeiae is a binary system, with a companion star orbiting the primary blue dwarf over a period of 940 days.

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