Magnitude 4.86 | Constellation Columba | |
Similar Mu Columbae, Alpha Columbae, ESO 306‑17 | ||
Lambda Columbae is a probable binary star in the southern constellation of Columba. With an apparent visual magnitude of 4.86, it is faintly visible to the naked eye. The measured annual parallax shift of 9.75 mas yields an estimated distance of roughly 335 light years.
For ancient Arabian astronomers, this star, along with ζ CMa, λ CMa, γ Col, δ Col, θ Col, κ Col, μ Col and ξ Col, formed Al Ḳurūd (ألقرد - al-qird), the Apes. In Chinese, 子 (Zǐ), meaning Son, refers to an asterism consisting of λ Columbae and β Columbae. Consequently, λ Columbae itself is known as 子一 (Zǐ yī, English: the First Star of Son.). From this Chinese name, the name Tsze is derived.
Lambda Columbae has a stellar classification of B5 V, indicating that it is a B-type main sequence star. It is a suspected rotating ellipsoidal variable with a period of 0.64 days and an amplitude of 0.07 magnitude. Confirmation would indicate that this is a close binary system. It has an estimated age of around 57 million years.