Upsilon3 Eridani Explained

Upsilon3 Eridani (υ3 Eridani, abbreviated Upsilon3 Eri, υ3 Eri), officially named Beemim,[1] is a star in the constellation of Eridanus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.96 The distance to this star, based upon an annual parallax shift of 11.01 mas, is around 296 light-years.

This is an evolved K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K4 III. It has about 54 times the radius of the Sun and radiates 426 times the solar luminosity from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 3,990 K.

Nomenclature

υ3 Eridani (Latinised to Upsilon3 Eridani) is the star's Bayer designation.

This star bore the traditional name Beemim (also rendered Beemin, Theemim and Theemin -- see Theemin). In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[2] to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Beemim for this star on 30 June 2017 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.[1]

In Chinese, Chinese: 天園 (Chinese: Tiān Yuán), meaning Celestial Orchard, refers to an asterism consisting of Upsilon3 Eridani, Chi Eridani, Phi Eridani, Kappa Eridani, HD 16754, HD 23319, Theta Eridani, HD 24072, HD 24160, Upsilon4 Eridani, Upsilon2 Eridani and Upsilon1 Eridani.[3] Consequently, the Chinese name for Upsilon3 Eridani itself is Chinese: 天園十一 (Chinese: Tiān Yuán shíyī, English: the Eleventh Star of Celestial Orchard).[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Naming Stars . IAU.org . 16 December 2017.
  2. Web site: IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN). 22 May 2016.
  3. 中國星座神話, written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, .
  4. 香港太空館 - 研究資源 - 亮星中英對照表, Hong Kong Space Museum. Accessed on line November 23, 2010.