Theta Pyxidis, Latinized from θ Pyxidis, is a red M-type

giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...

in the constellation Pyxis. It is approximately 500 ± 30

light years A light-year, alternatively spelled light year, is a large unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometers (), or 5.88 trillion miles ().One trillion here is taken to be 1012 ...

from

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

. It is of spectral type M1III and semi-regular variable with two measured periods of 13 and 98.3 days, and an average visual magnitude of 4.71, It shines with a

luminosity Luminosity is an absolute measure of radiated electromagnetic power (light), the radiant power emitted by a light-emitting object over time. In astronomy, luminosity is the total amount of electromagnetic energy emitted per unit of time by a st ...

approximately 970 times that of the Sun and has a surface temperature of 3825 K. It has a diameter around 54 times that of the Sun. Theta Pyxidis is moving through the Galaxy at a speed of 22.8 km/s relative to the Sun. Its projected Galactic orbit carries it between 21,200 and 24,700 light years from the center of the Galaxy. It came closest to the Sun 5.8 million years ago when it had brightened to magnitude 3.12 from a distance of 241 light years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theta Pyxidis M-type giants Pyxis Pyxidis, Theta Durchmusterung objects 080874 045902 3718