Nu Aquarii (ν Aqr, ν Aquarii) is the Bayer designation for a star in the

equatorial Equatorial may refer to something related to: *Earth's equator **the tropics, the Earth's equatorial region **tropical climate *the Celestial equator ** equatorial orbit **equatorial coordinate system ** equatorial mount, of telescopes * equatorial ...

constellation of

Aquarius Aquarius may refer to: Astrology * Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign * Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages Astronomy * Aquarius (constellation) * Aquarius in Chinese astronomy Arts and entertainme ...

. With an

apparent visual magnitude Apparent magnitude () is a measure of the brightness of a star or other astronomical object observed from Earth. An object's apparent magnitude depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance from Earth, and any extinction of the object's lig ...

of 4.52, Nu Aquarii is visible to the naked eye. Its distance from Earth, as determined from parallax measurements, is around . At an estimated age of 708 million years, it has

evolved Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

into 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 ...

with a

spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...

that matches a stellar classification of G8 III. It has than double the mass of the Sun and has expanded to eight times the Sun's radius. Nu Aquarii is radiating 37-fold the

luminosity of the Sun The solar luminosity (), is a unit of radiant flux ( power emitted in the form of photons) conventionally used by astronomers to measure the luminosity of stars, galaxies and other celestial objects in terms of the output of the Sun. One nominal ...

from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of . At this heat, the star is glowing with the yellowish hue of a

G-type star A G-type main-sequence star (Spectral type: G-V), also often, and imprecisely called a yellow dwarf, or G star, is a main-sequence star (luminosity class V) of spectral type G. Such a star has about 0.9 to 1.1 solar masses and an effective temp ...

. Together with μ Aquarii, it is Albulaan , a name derived from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

term ''al-bulaʽān'' (''ألبولعان''), meaning "the two swallowers". This star, along with ε Aqr (Albali) and μ Aqr (Albulaan), were ''al Bulaʽ'' (''البلع'')—the Swallower. In

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

, (), meaning '' Celestial Ramparts'', refers to an asterism consisting of ν Aquarii, ξ Aquarii, 46 Capricorni, 47 Capricorni, λ Capricorni, 50 Capricorni,

18 Aquarii 18 Aquarii is a single, yellow-white hued star in the equatorial constellation of Aquarius. The designation is from the catalogue of English astronomer John Flamsteed, first published in 1712. The star is faintly visible to the naked eye ...

, 29 Capricorni, 9 Aquarii,

8 Aquarii 8 Aquarii (abbreviated 8 Aqr) is a blue-white sub-giant of the spectral class A4IV in the constellation Aquarius. ''8 Aquarii'' is the Flamsteed designation. It is approximately 290 light-years away from Earth, based on parallax. It i ...

, 14 Aquarii, 17 Aquarii and 19 Aquarii. Consequently, the

Chinese name Chinese names or Chinese personal names are names used by individuals from Greater China and other parts of the Chinese-speaking world throughout East and Southeast Asia (ESEA). In addition, many names used in Japan, Korea and Vietnam are ofte ...

for ν Aquarii itself is (, en, the Tenth Star of Celestial Ramparts).AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 5 月 15 日
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References

External links

Image Nu Aquarii

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nu Aquarii Albulaan 201381 Aquarii, Nu Aquarius (constellation) G-type giants 104459 Aquarii, 013 8093 Durchmusterung objects