| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo[1] |
| Right ascension | 12h 53m 11.15678s[2] |
| Declination | −03° 33′ 11.1513″[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.135±0.037[3] |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | main sequence[2] |
| Spectral type | F6V[4] |
| B−Vcolor index | 0.49[4] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | −7.30±0.32[5] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −262.971mas/yr[2] Dec.: −3.649mas/yr[2] |
| Parallax (π) | 29.9081±0.0377 mas[2] |
| Distance | 109.1 ± 0.1 ly (33.44 ± 0.04 pc) |
| Details | |
| Mass | 1.18±0.12[4] M☉ |
| Radius | 1.45±0.07[4] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 3.48[note 1] L☉ |
| Temperature | 6557±96[4] K |
| Metallicity[Fe/H] | +0.07[4] dex |
| Age | 1.9+0.6 −0.7[4] Gyr |
| Other designations | |
| BD−02 3593,HD 111998,HIP 62875,HR 4891,WDS J12532-0333AB[6] | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
38 Virginis is anF-type main sequence star in theconstellation ofVirgo. With anapparent magnitude of 6.135,[3] it is very close to the average threshold fornaked eye visibility, and can only be viewed from sufficientlydark skies, far fromlight pollution.[7] It is around 109.1light years distant from theEarth.[2]
The name 38 Virginis derives from the star being the 38th star in order ofright ascension catalogued in the constellation Virgo byFlamsteed in his star catalogue. The designationb of 38 Virginis b derives from the order of discovery and is given to the first planet orbiting a given star, followed by the other lowercase letters of the alphabet.[8] In the case of 38 Virginis, only one was discovered, which was designatedb.[4]
38 Virginis is anF-type main sequence star that is approximately 118% the mass of and 145% the radius of theSun. It has a temperature of 6557K and is about 1.9 billion years old. In comparison, theSun is about 4.6 billion years old[9] and has a temperature of 5778 K.[10]
The star is metal-rich, with ametallicity ([Fe/H]) of 0.07dex, or 117% the solar amount. Its luminosity (L☉) is 3.48 times that of the Sun.
A companion star is cataloged in theCCDM at a separation of half an arcsecond.[11]
| Companion (in order from star) | Mass | Semimajor axis (AU) | Orbital period (days) | Eccentricity | Inclination | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | 4.51±0.5 MJ | 1.82±0.07 | 825.9±6.2 | 0.03±0.04 | — | — |
The star is known to host one exoplanet,38 Virginis b, discovered in 2016. It has a mass of around 4.5 times that of the planetJupiter, an orbital period of 825.9 days (2.261 years) and a relatively low eccentricity out of any long-period giant exoplanet discovered, with an eccentricity of 0.03.[4]
The planet lies within the host star'shabitable zone. As of 2024[update], it is the only known planet around a F-type star that is always orbiting inside the habitable zone, as opposed to an orbit that never or just occasionally crosses the HZ.[12]
