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V487 Carinae, HD84809, HIP47893


V487 Carinae's Alternative Names

HIP47893 is the reference name for the star in the Hipparcos Star Catalogue. The Id of the star in the Henry Draper catalogue is HD84809.

V487 Carinae has alternative name(s) :- , V487 Car.


Location of V487 Carinae


Proper Motion of V487 Carinae

All stars like planets orbit round a central spot, in the case of planets, its the central star such as the Sun. In the case of a star, its the galactic centre. The constellations that 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 are measured in milliarcseconds. The star is moving 7.48 ± 0.37 miliarcseconds/year towards the north and -18.46 ± 0.45 miliarcseconds/year east if we saw them in the horizon. The Radial Velocity, that is the speed at which the star is moving away/towards us is 11.00000 km/s with an error of about 2.90 km/s .

V487 Carinae Luminosity

Luminosity is the amount of energy that a star pumps out and its relative to the amount that our star, the Sun gives out. The figure of 323.61 that I have given is based on the value in the Simbad Hipparcos Extended Catalogue at the University of Strasbourg from 2012.

Physical Properties (Colour, Temperature) of V487 Carinae

V487 Carinae has a spectral type of B8III/IV. This means the star is a blue subgiant star. The star is 7,357.00 Parsecs from the Galactic Centre or terms of Light Years is 23,995.84 s. The star has a B-V Colour Index of -0.1 which means the star's temperature has been calculated using information from Morgans @ Uni.edu at being 11,677 Kelvin.

V487 Carinae Radius has been calculated as being 3.09 times bigger than the Sun.The Sun's radius is 695,800km, therefore the star's radius is an estimated 2,151,452.44.km. If you need the diameter of the star, you just need to multiple the radius by 2. However with the 2007 release of updated Hipparcos files, the radius is now calculated at being round 3.30. The figure is derived at by using the formula from SDSS and has been known to produce widely incorrect figures.

V487 Carinae Apparent and Absolute Magnitudes

V487 Carinae has an apparent magnitude of 6.47 which is how bright we see the star from Earth. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude. If you used the 1997 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude of -0.66 If you used the 2007 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude of -0.80. Magnitude, whether it be apparent/visual or absolute magnitude is measured by a number, the smaller the number, the brighter the Star is. Our own Sun is the brightest star and therefore has the lowest of all magnitudes, -26.74. A faint star will have a high number.

Distance to V487 Carinae

Using the original Hipparcos data that was released in 1997, the parallax to the star was given as 3.75 which gave the calculated distance to V487 Carinae as 869.77 light years away from Earth or 266.67 parsecs. It would take a spaceship travelling at the speed of light, 869.77 years to get there. We don't have the technology or spaceship that can carry people over that distance yet.

In 2007, Hipparcos data was revised with a new parallax of 3.51 which put V487 Carinae at a distance of 929.24 light years or 284.90 parsecs. It should not be taken as though the star is moving closer or further away from us. It is purely that the distance was recalculated.


Variable Type of V487 Carinae

The star is a rotating Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variable type which means that its size changes over time. The Variable Type is usually named after the first star of that type to be spotted. V487 Carinae brightness ranges from a magnitude of 6.492 to a magnitude of 6.394 over its variable period. The smaller the magnitude, the brighter the star. Its variable/pulsating period lasts for 4.4 days (variability).

Source of Information


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V487 Carinae Facts

Visual Facts

Primary / Proper / Traditional NameV487 Carinae
Alternative NamesHD 84809, HIP 47893, V487 Car
Spectral TypeB8III/IV
Multiple Star SystemYes
Star TypeSubgiant Star
Colour blue
GalaxyMilky Way
Absolute Magnitude-0.66 / -0.80
Visual / Apparent Magnitude6.47
Naked Eye VisibleYes - Magnitudes
Right Ascension (R.A.)09h 45m 40.64
Declination (Dec.)-57° 11` 09.8
Galactic Latitude-2.92 degrees
Galactic Longitude279.78 degrees
1997 Distance from Earth3.75 Parallax (milliarcseconds)
 869.77 Light Years
 266.67 Parsecs
2007 Distance from Earth3.51 Parallax (milliarcseconds)
 929.24 Light Years
 284.90 Parsecs
Galacto-Centric Distance23,995.84 Light Years / 7,357.00 Parsecs
Proper Motion Dec.7.48 ± 0.37 milliarcseconds/year
Proper Motion RA.-18.46 ± 0.45 milliarcseconds/year
B-V Index-0.10
Radial Velocity11.00 ± 2.90 km/s
Semi-Major Axis7289.00
Stellar Luminosity (Lsun)323.61

Companions (Multi-Star and Exoplanets) Facts

Exoplanet CountNone/Unaware

Variable Star Details

Variable Star ClassRotating
Variable Star TypeAlpha2 Canum Venaticorum
Mean Variability Period in Days4.356
Variable Magnitude Range (Brighter - Dimmer)6.394 - 6.492

Estimated Facts

Calculated Effective Temperature11,677 Kelvin

Sources and Links

SIMBAD SourceLink

Multi-Star System


Proper Motion mas/yr
H.D. IdB.D. IdStar CodeMagnitudeR.A.Dec.SpectrumColourYear
84809-56 2499.4A6.50000-19.000008.00000B8Blue/White

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