Astronomy and Space

Epsilon Mensae

Epsilon Mensae, Latinized to ε Mensae, is a single star in the southern circumpolar constellation Mensa. It has an apparent magnitude of 5.52, making it faintly visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions. The object has a heliocentric radial velocity of 10.5 km/s, meaning it is receding from the Solar System, and is estimated to be 454 light years away. Epsilon Mensae has a stellar classification of K2/3 III — intermediate between a K2 and K3 giant star. It has 115% the mass of the Sun and an enlarged radius of 21.9 R☉. It shines at 170 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,657 K, giving it an orange glow. Epsilon Mensae has a metallicity 49% that of the Sun and is believed to be a member of the young disk population. It spins leisurely with a projected rotational velocity of about 1.8 km/s.

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See also

• ▸Comet
• ▸HMAS Pioneer
• ▸Astronomical filter

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