Mu Arietis is a
multiple star system in the northern
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The first constellati ...
of
Aries. Its name is a
Bayer designation that is
Latinized from μ Arietis, and abbreviated Mu Ari or μ Ari. This system is approximately distant from
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
, give or take a 8 light-year
margin of error, and has a combined
apparent visual magnitude of 5.74.
[ According to the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale, this means it is faintly visible to the naked eye from dark suburban skies. The system is positioned near the ecliptic and is subject to lunar occultation.][
At the heart of this system is a close orbiting pair, designated μ Ari Aa, consisting of a magnitude 6.38 A-type main sequence star with a stellar classification of A0 Vp, and a magnitude 8.38 F-type main sequence companion with a classification of F2 V. These two components have an angular separation of 0.04 arcseconds. A third component, designated μ Ari Ab, consists of a magnitude 6.72 star with a classification of A1 V, orbiting the inner pair with a period of 8.845 years and an eccentricity of 0.34.][ The orbit of this star has been measured using lunar occultations.][ A smaller fourth component, μ Ari B, at an angular separation of 19.1 arcseconds, has a magnitude of 12.2.][
]
References
External links
HR 793
CCDM J02424 +2001AP
Image Mu Arietis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mu Arietis
A-type main-sequence stars
F-type main-sequence stars
Spectroscopic binaries
4
Aries (constellation)
Arietis, Mu
0793
Durchmusterung objects
Arietis, 34
016811
012640