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Iota Cancri

48 Cancri

Proper NameNone
Bayer DesignationIota Cancri
Flamsteed Number48 Cancri
HR (BSC)3475 (A), 3474 (B)
HD74739 (A), 74738 (B)
ConstellationCancer
Right Ascension8h 46m 42s (A)
8h 46m 40s (B)
Declination+28° 45' 36" (A)
+28° 45' 54" (B)
Distance347 light years / 106 parsecs (A)
337 light years / 103 parsecs (B)
MagnitudeApparent: +4.01 (A), +6.57 (B)
Absolute: -1.12 (A), +1.50 (B)
Spectral ClassG8II-III yellow bright giant (A)
A2V white main sequence star (B)
Optimum VisibilityFebruary
NotesThis is a widely separated system of at least two stars, and possibly three. The primary yellow giant, Iota Cancri A, shows indirect signs of possessing a white dwarf companion, though that companion has yet to be directly detected. Meanwhile Iota Cancri B, far from the giant primary, is a much lower-mass white star, rotating rapidly enough to have expelled belts of material into its surrounding space.

The bright star in the centre of this image is the yellow giant Iota Cancri A, with the fainter Iota Cancri B discernable to its immediate northwest. Based on their individual parallax measurements, these two stars lie as far as ten light years apart, but their shared motion through space suggests that they are nonetheless gravitationally related to one another. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

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