Chi Serpentis

Chi Serpentis

A light curve for Chi Serpentis plotted from TESS data
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Serpens
Right ascension 15h 41m 47.41474s
Declination +12° 50 51.0937
Apparent magnitude (V) +5.30
Characteristics
Spectral type A2 Vp MnEu(Sr)
U−B color index +0.04
B−V color index +0.04
Variable type α2 CVn
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)+1.90±1.78 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +39.045 mas/yr
Dec.: −2.923 mas/yr
Parallax (π)14.7221±0.0748 mas
Distance222 ± 1 ly
(67.9 ± 0.3 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)+1.10
Details
Mass2.11 M
Radius2.25 R
Luminosity26 L
Surface gravity (log g)3.66±0.24 cgs
Temperature9,557±274 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]+0.35±0.13 dex
Rotation1.5948 d
Rotational velocity (v sin i)75 km/s
Age212 Myr
Other designations
χ Ser, 20 Ser, BD+13°2982, FK5 3243, HD 140160, HIP 76866, HR 5843, SAO 101683
Database references
SIMBADdata

Chi Serpentis (χ Ser, χ Serpentis) is a solitary star in the Serpens Caput section of the equatorial constellation Serpens. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 14.84 mas as seen from Earth, it is located around 222 light years from the Sun. The star is bright enough to be faintly visible to the naked eye, having an apparent visual magnitude of +5.30.

In 1966 it was listed as a suspected spectroscopic binary, but it is believed to be single. This is a chemically peculiar star Ap star with a stellar classification of A2 Vp MnEu(Sr), indicating the spectrum shows abnormal excesses of manganese and europium. The star has 2.11 times the mass of the Sun and about 2.25 times the Sun's radius. It is radiating 26 times the solar luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 9,557 K. At the age of 212 million years, it is spinning with a rotation period of 1.6 days.

Chi Serpentis is classified as an Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum type variable star, and its magnitude varies by 0.03 with a period of 1.5948 days. The pattern of variation in the spectrum suggest there are regions of enhanced strontium, chromium, iron, titanium, and magnesium on the surface of the star. The averaged quadratic field strength of the surface magnetic field is (859.1±712.3)×10−4 T.