Kappa Velorum

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

Binary star system in the constellation Vela

title: "Kappa Velorum" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["bayer-objects", "henry-draper-catalogue-objects", "hipparcos-objects", "bright-star-catalogue-objects", "vela-(constellation)", "b-type-subgiants", "spectroscopic-binaries", "durchmusterung-objects", "southern-pole-stars", "stars-with-proper-names"] description: "Binary star system in the constellation Vela" topic_path: "science/astronomy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_Velorum" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Binary star system in the constellation Vela ::

| name = Kappa Velorum (Markeb) | image= |image=Vela constellation map.svg |float=center |alt= |label= |position=right |width=280 |mark=Red circle.svg |mark_width=12 |mark_link=κ Velorum |x=553|y=640 |caption=Location of κ Vel (circled) | epoch = J2000 | ra = | dec = | appmag_v = 2.48 | constell = Vela | class = B2 V-IV + BV | b-v = −0.20 | u-b = −0.78 | variable = | radial_v = | prop_mo_ra = −11.40 | prop_mo_dec = +11.52 | parallax = 5.70 | p_error = 0.30 | parallax_footnote = | absmag_v = −3.74 | reference = | period_unitless = days | axis_unitless = 1.28 AU | eccentricity = | inclination = | node = | periarg = | k1 = | component1 = A | source = | mass = | radius = | luminosity = | temperature = | gravity = 3.5 | metal_fe = | rotational_velocity = 39 | age_myr = 40 | component2 = B | mass2 = | temperature2 = | metal2_fe = | age_myr2 = 40 | names = Markeb, HR 3734, HD 81188, SAO 236891, FK5 353, CPD−54°2219, GC 12938, HIP 45941 | Simbad = kap+Vel

Kappa Velorum (κ Velorum, abbreviated Kappa Vel, κ Vel; proper name Markeb ) is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Vela. The two components are designated Kappa Velorum A and B.

From parallax measurements, this system is located at a distance of roughly 572 ly from the Sun. The apparent visual magnitude is 2.48,

Nomenclature

κ Velorum (Latinised to Kappa Velorum) is the system's Bayer designation. The designations of the two components as Kappa Velorum A and B derives from the convention used by the Washington Multiplicity Catalog (WMC) for multiple star systems, and adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

The system had a traditional name Markab, from the Arabic مركب, markab meaning "something to ride".{{cite book |last = Allen |first = R. H. |author-link = Richard Hinckley Allen |date = 1963 |title = Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning |edition = rep. |publisher = Dover Publications Inc |location = New York, NY |isbn = 0-486-21079-0

In Chinese, 天社 (Tiān Shè), meaning Celestial Earth God's Temple, refers to an asterism consisting of Kappa Velorum, Gamma2 Velorum, b Velorum and Delta Velorum. Consequently, Kappa Velorum itself is known as 天社五 (Tiān Shè wǔ), "the Fifth Star of Celestial Earth God's Temple".

Properties

Kappa Velorum is a spectroscopic binary system consisting of a pair of stars that complete an orbit around each other with a period of 116.80 days, a semi-major axis of 1.28 AU and an eccentricity of 0.1761.

The primary's stellar classification of the pair is B2 VIV, which matches the class of a B-type star that is exhausting the hydrogen at its core and has begun to evolve into a subgiant star. It is about 13 times more massive than the Sun, with a photospheric radius twelve times larger, irradiating 13,000 times more luminosity than the Sun at an effective temperature of , which give Kappa Velorum A the blue-white hue typical of B-type stars.

The secondary is a B-type main-sequence star much less luminous than the primary. It has 7.7 times the mass of the Sun and an effective temperature of 19,000 K, also giving it a blue-white hue.

Interstellar medium

Analysis of the spectrum of Kappa Velorum shows absorption lines due to the interstellar medium between Earth and the star. Observation of these features over many years has shown that the lines vary in strength, probably caused by a small dense cloud extending 100–1,000 au moving across the line of sight.

Notes

\biggr)^4 \cdot 10^{4.12}} = 11.55\ R_\odot.}}

References

References

  1. "Naming Stars". IAU.org.
  2. Moore, Patrick. (2010). "Patrick Moore's Astronomy: Teach Yourself". Hachette.
  3. (2010). "On the naming convention used for multiple star systems and extrasolar planets".
  4. "IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)".
  5. {{in lang. zh ''中國星座神話'', written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, {{ISBN. 978-986-7332-25-7.
  6. {{in lang. zh [http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Space/Research/StarName/c_research_chinengstars_ala_alz.htm 香港太空館 – 研究資源 – 亮星中英對照表] {{webarchive. link. (2008-10-25 , Hong Kong Space Museum. Accessed on line November 23, 2010.)
  7. (2013). "Small-scale structure in the interstellar medium: Time-varying interstellar absorption towards κ Velorum". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
  8. van Leeuwen, F.. (November 2007). "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction". Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  9. (December 21, 2004). "The Colour of Stars". Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
  10. (2025-12-01). "Hidden in Plain Sight II: Characterizing the luminous companion to Kappa Velorum with VLTI/GRAVITY".
  11. (2021-07-01). "Magnetic chemically peculiar stars investigated by the Solar Mass Ejection Imager". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
  12. (March 1977). "The spatial distribution of young stars in Vela (l = 257 to 284 )". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series.
  13. (August 2002). "Detection of CaI and CH absorption at the velocity of the variable interstellar component towards κ Velorum". [[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]].
  14. "kap Vel -- Spectroscopic binary". [[Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg]].
  15. (February 1986). "John of London and his Unknown Arabic Sources". Journal for the History of Astronomy.
  16. (1978). "Burnham's celestial handbook: an observer's guide to the universe beyond the solar system". [[Courier Dover Publications]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

bayer-objectshenry-draper-catalogue-objectshipparcos-objectsbright-star-catalogue-objectsvela-(constellation)b-type-subgiantsspectroscopic-binariesdurchmusterung-objectssouthern-pole-starsstars-with-proper-names