Lambda Aurigae

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Solar analog star in the constellation Auriga

title: "Lambda Aurigae" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["g-type-main-sequence-stars", "g-type-subgiants", "solar-type-stars", "maunder-minimum", "auriga", "bayer-objects", "bright-star-catalogue-objects", "durchmusterung-objects", "flamsteed-objects", "gliese-and-gj-objects", "henry-draper-catalogue-objects", "hipparcos-objects", "stars-with-proper-names"] description: "Solar analog star in the constellation Auriga" topic_path: "science/astronomy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda_Aurigae" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Solar analog star in the constellation Auriga ::

| name = λ Aurigae | image= |image=Auriga constellation map.svg|alt=|float=center|width=260 |label=|position=right |mark=Red circle.svg|mark_width=8|mark_link=λ Aurigae |x=590|y=443 | caption = Location of λ Aurigae (circled) | epoch = J2000 | constell = Auriga | ra = | dec = | appmag_v = 4.71 | class = G1 V or G1.5 IV-V Fe-1 | r-i = 0.32 | v-r = | b-v = +0.62 | u-b = +0.13 | variable = | radial_v = | prop_mo_ra = +520.569 | prop_mo_dec = −664.488 | pm_footnote = | parallax = 79.6021 | p_error = 0.1005 | parallax_footnote = | absmag_v = 4.20 | mass = | radius = | gravity = 4.02 | metal_fe = +0.12 | temperature = | luminosity = | rotational_velocity = 2 | age_gyr = 4, 5.0–7.9 | names = | Simbad=lam+Aur | ARICNS=00434

Lambda Aurigae is a Sun-like star in the northern constellation of Auriga. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from λ Aurigae, and abbreviated Lambda Aur or λ Aur. This star is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.71. Based upon parallax measurements, it is 41 ly distant from the Earth. The star is drifting further away with a high radial velocity of +66.5 km/s, having come to within 7.4945 pc some 117,300 years ago. It has a high proper motion, traversing the celestial sphere at the rate of per year.

Properties

This is a G-type main sequence star with a stellar classification of G1 V. It is sometimes listed with a class of G1.5 IV-V Fe-1, which indicates the spectrum is showing some features of a more evolved subgiant star along with a noticeable underabundance of iron. In terms of composition it is similar to the Sun, while the mass and radius are slightly larger. It is 73% more luminous than the Sun and radiates this energy from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of . At this heat, the star glows with the yellow hue of a G-type star. It has a low level of magnetic activity and is a candidate Maunder minimum analog.

Lambda Aurigae has been examined for the presence of excess infrared emission that may indicate the presence of a circumstellar disk of dust, but no significant surplus has been observed. It is a possible member of the Epsilon Indi Moving Group of stars that share a common motion through space. The space velocity components of this star are [U, V, W] = [+76, –39, –6] km/s.

Name

This star may have been called by the name Al Hurr, meaning the fawn in Arabic. Lambda Aurigae, along with μ Aur and σ Aur, were Kazwini's Al Ḣibāʽ (ألحباع), the Tent. According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum 33-507 - A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Al Ḣibāʽ were the title for three stars : λ Aur as Al Ḣibāʽ I, μ Aur as Al Ḣibāʽ II and σ Aur as Al Ḣibāʽ III.

In Chinese, 咸池 (Xián Chí), meaning Pool of Harmony, refers to an asterism consisting of λ Aurigae, ρ Aurigae and HD 36041. Consequently, the Chinese name for λ Aurigae itself is 咸池三 (Xián Chí sān, .)

Observation

From Earth, Lambda Aurigae has an apparent magnitude of 4.71. The closest large neighboring star to Lambda Aurigae is Capella, located 4.5 ly away. Hypothetically viewed from Lambda Aurigae, Capella's quadruple star system would have an apparent magnitude of approximately -5.48, about 40 times brighter than Sirius can be seen at maximum brightness from Earth.

References

| display-authors=1 | last1=Holmberg | first1=J. | last2=Nordström | first2=B. | last3=Andersen | first3=J. | title=The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the solar neighbourhood. III. Improved distances, ages, and kinematics | volume=501 | issue=3 |date=July 2009 | pages=941–947 | journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics | doi=10.1051/0004-6361/200811191 | bibcode=2009A&A...501..941H | arxiv=0811.3982 | s2cid=118577511 | postscript=. }}

| title=Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning | page=91 | last=Allen | first=R. H. | date=1963 | authorlink=Richard Hinckley Allen | edition=Reprint | publisher=Dover Publications Inc | location=New York, NY | isbn=((978-0-486-21079-7)) | url=https://archive.org/details/starnamestheirlo00alle/page/91 | accessdate=2010-12-12 | url-access=registration }}

| first=Jack W. | last=Rhoads | title=Technical Memorandum 33-507-A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars | publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory | location=California Institute of Technology | date=November 15, 1971 | url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19720005197 | accessdate=2025-05-13 | postscript=. }}

| display-authors = 1 | last1 = Lubin | first1 = Dan | last2 = Tytler | first2 = David | last3 = Kirkman | first3 = David | title = Frequency of Maunder Minimum Events in Solar-type Stars Inferred from Activity and Metallicity Observations | journal = The Astrophysical Journal Letters | volume = 747 | issue = 2 | page = L32 |date=March 2012 | doi = 10.1088/2041-8205/747/2/L32 | bibcode = 2012ApJ...747L..32L | postscript = . | doi-access= free

| title=New stellar encounters discovered in the second Gaia data release | last1=Bailer-Jones | first1=C.A.L. | last2=Rybizki | first2=J. | last3=Andrae | first3=R. | last4=Fouesnea | first4=M. | display-authors=1 | journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics | volume=616 | pages=A37 | date=2018 | arxiv=1805.07581 | bibcode=2018A&A...616A..37B | doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201833456 | s2cid=56269929 | postscript=. }}

| title=The Perkins catalog of revised MK types for the cooler stars | last1=Keenan | first1=Philip C. | last2=McNeil | first2=Raymond C. | journal=Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series | volume=71 | pages=245 | year=1989 | postscript=. | bibcode=1989ApJS...71..245K | doi=10.1086/191373 }}

| last1=Lépine | first1=Sébastien | last2=Shara | first2=Michael M. | title=A Catalog of Northern Stars with Annual Proper Motions Larger than 0.15" (LSPM-NORTH Catalog) | journal=The Astronomical Journal | volume=129 | issue=3 | pages=1483–1522 | date=March 2005 | doi=10.1086/427854 | bibcode=2005AJ....129.1483L | arxiv=astro-ph/0412070 | s2cid=2603568 | postscript=. }}

| url=http://www.solstation.com/stars2/capella4.htm | title=Capella 4 | publisher=SolStation | access-date=10 February 2023 }}

| title=Combined apparent magnitude of 2 stars | publisher=WolframΑlpha | url=https://www.wolframalpha.com/widgets/view.jsp?id=aa35819112b597d719cc24ba31e63c34 | access-date=10 February 2023 }}

| title=Magnitude Arithmetic | work=Weekly Topic | publisher=Caglow | url=http://www.caglow.com/info/wtopic/mag-arith | access-date=10 February 2023 | archive-date=1 February 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201203951/http://www.caglow.com/info/wtopic/mag-arith | url-status=live }}

References

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g-type-main-sequence-starsg-type-subgiantssolar-type-starsmaunder-minimumaurigabayer-objectsbright-star-catalogue-objectsdurchmusterung-objectsflamsteed-objectsgliese-and-gj-objectshenry-draper-catalogue-objectshipparcos-objectsstars-with-proper-names