Gamma Cancri (γ Cancri, abbreviated Gamma Cnc, γ Cnc), also named Asellus Borealis, is a star in the constellation of Cancer.
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Since it is near the ecliptic, it can be occulted by the Moon and, very rarely, by planets.
Nomenclature
γ Cancri (Latinised to Gamma Cancri) is the star's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name Asellus Borealis (Latin for "northern donkey colt"). In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Asellus Borealis for this star on 6 November 2016 and it is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.
In Chinese, 鬼宿 (Guǐ Su), meaning Ghost, refers to an asterism consisting of Gamma Cancri, Theta Cancri, Eta Cancri and Delta Cancri. Consequently, Gamma Cancri itself is known as 鬼宿三 (Guǐ Su sān, English: the Third Star of Ghost.)
Properties
Gamma Cancri is a white A-type subgiant with an apparent magnitude of +4.67. Located around 181 light-years from the Sun, it shines with a luminosity approximately 35 times greater and has a surface temperature of 9108 K.