Kruger 60 A

Kruger 60 A

Star

Kruger 60 A - the brighter of a pair of red dwarfs 13.1 light-years away in Cepheus, circling each other every ~45 years. No planets are confirmed.

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Key facts

Mutual orbit
44.7 Earth years
16,316 Earth days
Mass
5.39 × 10²⁹ kg
0.271 M☉
Radius
243,495 km
35% of the Sun's radius
Surface temperature
3,180 K (2907 °C)
Luminosity
3.83 × 10²⁴ W
Spectral type
M3V (red dwarf)

Science

Physical

Mass
5.39 × 10²⁹ kg · 0.271 M☉
Radius
243,495 km · 35% of the Sun's radius
Density
8,913 kg/m³ · 8.9× water
Spectral type
M3V (red dwarf)

Orbit (around the system barycenter)

Semi-major axis
3.74 AU
Eccentricity
0.41
Orbital period
44.67 years

Composition

By mass
A red dwarf about 27% of the Sun's mass; the more massive of the pair.

Temperature

Surface
3,180 K (2907 °C)

Radiation & temperature

Luminosity
3.83 × 10²⁴ W · 0.01 L☉
Surface temperature
3,180 K (2907 °C)
Peak wavelength
911 nm · near-infrared (mostly invisible to the eye)

Discovery & history

Discovered
January 1, 1890
By
Adalbert Kruger
Name
Named for the German astronomer Adalbert Kruger and its number (60) in his catalogue; also GJ 860.

Recognised as a binary by Adalbert Kruger in the 1890s; its well-measured orbit has long made it a benchmark for red-dwarf masses.

Images

Images from open archives · credit shown per image