Epsilon_Serpentis
Epsilon Serpentis
Am star in the constellation Serpens
Epsilon Serpentis, Latinized from ε Serpentis, is a single,[9] white-hued star in the constellation Serpens, in its head (Serpens Caput). It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +3.69.[2] Based upon an annual parallax shift of 46.30 mas as seen from Earth,[1] it is located 70 light years from the Sun. It is moving closer to the Sun with a radial velocity of −9 km/s.[4]
This is an Am star[10] on the main-sequence with a stellar classification of kA2hA5mA7 V.[3] This notation indicates the spectrum displays the calcium K-line of an A2 star, the hydrogen lines of an A5 star, and the metal lines of an A7 star.[11] It has been examined for the presence of a magnetic field, but the detected level was not statistically significant.[12]
Epsilon Serpentis has an estimated 1.82 times the mass of the Sun and 1.78 times the Sun's radius.[6] The star is radiating 12[6] times the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of around 7,928 K.[7] It is a candidate for an infrared excess at a wavelength of 25 μm, suggesting a circumstellar disk of dust with a temperature of 250±70 K may be orbiting roughly 4.2 AU from the host star.[13] The star is around half[6] a billion years old and is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 33.1 km/s.[7]