Beta Pictoris
Beta Pictoris (abbreviated β Pictoris or β Pic) is the second brightest star in the constellation Pictor. It is located 63.4 light-years (19.4 pc) from the Solar System, and is 1.75 times as massive and 8.7 times as luminous as the Sun. The Beta Pictoris system is very young, only 20 to 26 million years old, although it is already in the main sequence stage of its evolution. Beta Pictoris is the title member of the Beta Pictoris moving group, an association of young stars which share the same motion through space and have the same age.
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pictor |
| Right ascension | 05h 47m 17.1s |
| Declination | −51° 03′ 59″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 3.861 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | A6V |
| U−B color index | 0.10 |
| B−V color index | 0.17 |
| Variable type | Delta Scuti variable |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +20.0 ± 0.7 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: +4.65 mas/yr Dec.: +83.10 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 51.44 ± 0.12 mas |
| Distance | 63.4 ± 0.1 ly (19.44 ± 0.05 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | 2.402 |
| Details | |
| Mass | 1.75 M☉ |
| Radius | 1.8 R☉ |
| Luminosity (bolometric) | 8.7 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 4.15 cgs |
| Temperature | 8,052 K |
| Metallicity | +0.14 |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 130 km/s |
| Age | 23±3 Myr |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
| ARICNS | data |
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has confirmed the presence of two planets, Beta Pictoris b, and Beta Pictoris c, through the use of direct imagery. Both planets are orbiting in the plane of the debris disk surrounding the star. Beta Pictoris c is currently the closest extrasolar planet to its star ever photographed: the observed separation is roughly the same as the distance between the asteroid belt and the Sun.
Beta Pictoris shows an excess of infrared emission compared to normal stars of its type, which is caused by large quantities of dust and gas (including carbon monoxide) near the star. Detailed observations reveal a large disk of dust and gas orbiting the star, which was the first debris disk to be imaged around another star. In addition to the presence of several planetesimal belts and cometary activity, there are indications that planets have formed within this disk and that the processes of planet formation may be ongoing. Material from the Beta Pictoris debris disk is thought to be the dominant source of interstellar meteoroids in the Solar System.