HD 42540, also known as HR 2196, is a

giant star A giant star is a star with substantially larger radius and luminosity than a main-sequence (or ''dwarf'') star of the same surface temperature.Giant star, entry in ''Astronomy Encyclopedia'', ed. Patrick Moore, New York: Oxford University Press ...

in the constellation

Pictor Pictor is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere, located between the star Canopus and the Large Magellanic Cloud. Its name is Latin for painter, and is an abbreviation of the older name Equuleus Pictoris (the "painter's easel ...

. A class K2-3III orange giant, its apparent magnitude is 5.04 and it is approximately 389 light years away based on parallax. This star was mistakenly catalogued as Mu Doradus (Mu Dor/μ Doradus/μ Dor) at incorrect coordinates, then assumed to be

variable Variable may refer to: * Variable (computer science), a symbolic name associated with a value and whose associated value may be changed * Variable (mathematics), a symbol that represents a quantity in a mathematical expression, as used in many ...

as no 5th-magnitude star was seen at that position. It also has the

Gould designation Gould designations for stars are similar to Flamsteed designations in the way that they number stars within a constellation in increasing order of right ascension. Each star is assigned an integer (starting at 1), followed by " G. " (or occasion ...

47 G. Pictoris.

References

Pictor K-type giants CD-62 235 028991

2196 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 (21st century, 21st to 30th century, 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies se ...

042540 Suspected variables {{var-star-stub