Luminosity 14.39 L☉ | Magnitude 4.03 Apparent magnitude (V) 4.03 | |
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Similar Zeta Cancri, Gamma Cancri, Delta Cancri | ||
Iota cancri occultation
Iota Cancri (ι Cnc, ι Cancri) is a double star in the constellation Cancer approximately 300 light years from Earth.
The two stars of ι Cancri are separated by 30 arcseconds, changing only slowly. Although no orbit has been derived, the two stars show a large common proper motion and are assumed to be gravitationally related.
The brighter star, ι Cancri A, is a yellow G-type bright giant with an apparent magnitude of +4.02. It is a mild barium star, thought to be formed by mass transfer of enriched material from an asymptotic giant branch star onto a less evolved companion. No such donor has been detected in the ι Cancri system, but it is assumed that there is an unseen white dwarf.
The fainter of the two stars, ι Cancri B, is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +6.57. It is a shell star, surrounded by material expelled by its rapid rotation.
