Alpha Phoenicis
{{Short description|Orange-hued star in the constellation Phoenix}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{Redirect|Ankaa|the album|Ankaa (album)}}
{{Distinguish|text=Ancha, a star in Aquarius}}
}}
{{Starbox begin
| name=Alpha Phoenicis
}}
{{Starbox image
| image=
{{Location mark
|image=Phoenix constellation map.svg|alt=|float=center|width=280
|label=|position=right
|mark=Red circle.svg|mark_width=12|mark_link=α Phoenicis
|x=564|y=190
}}
|caption=Location of α Phoenicis (circled)
}}
{{Starbox observe
| epoch = J2000
| constell = Phoenix
| dec = {{DEC|-42|18|21.7712}}
}}
{{Starbox character
| variable =
}}
{{Starbox astrometry
| parallax = 39.9183
| p_error = 0.7283
}}
{{Starbox orbit
| primary =
| name =
| period_unitless = 3848.8 days
| axis =
| axis_unitless = 103.5 m
| eccentricity = 0.34
| inclination = {{val|128.0|5.4}}
| node = {{val|242.8|3.9}}
| periastron = 2416201.8 HJD
| periarg_primary = 19.8
| k1 =
| k2 =
}}
{{Starbox detail
| age =
}}
{{Starbox catalog
| names=Ankaa, Nair al Zaurak, Cymbae, Lucida Cymbae, CD−42°116, FK5 12, GCTP 71.00, HIP 2081, HR 99, HD 2261, LTT 231, SAO 215093.
}}
{{Starbox reference
| Simbad = alf+Phe
}}
{{Starbox end}}
Alpha Phoenicis (α Phoenicis, abbreviated Alpha Phe or α Phe), formally named Ankaa {{IPAc-en|'|æ|N|k|@}}, (with the same pronunciation) is the brightest star in the constellation of Phoenix.
Nomenclature
Alpha Phoenicis is the star's Bayer designation. It also bore the traditional name Ankaa sometime after 1800, from the Arabic العنقاء al-ʽanqāʼ "the phoenix" for the name of the constellation. The International Astronomical Union has formally adopted the Ankaa as the proper name for Alpha Phoenicis.
Medieval Arab astronomers formed the constellation of the dhow (where Phoenix is), so another popular name for the star is Nair al Zaurak from نائر الزورقnayyir az-zawraq "the bright (star) of the skiff". The Latin translation is Cymbae, from lūcida cumbae.
In Chinese caused by adaptation of the European southern hemisphere constellations into the Chinese system, {{lang|zh|火鳥}} ({{lang|zh-Latn|Huǒ Niǎo}}), meaning Firebird, refers to an asterism consisting of α Phoenicis, ι Phoenicis, σ Phoenicis, ε Phoenicis, κ Phoenicis, μ Phoenicis, λ1 Phoenicis, β Phoenicis and γ Phoenicis . Consequently, α Phoenicis itself is known as {{lang|zh|火鳥六}} ({{lang|zh-Latn|Huǒ Niǎo liù}}, {{langx|en|the Sixth Star of Firebird}}.){{in lang|zh}} [http://aeea.nmns.edu.tw/2006/0607/ap060727.html AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 27 日] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522003318/http://aeea.nmns.edu.tw/2006/0607/ap060727.html |date=2011-05-22 }}
Description
Alpha Phoenicis is a spectroscopic binary star system with components that orbit each other every 3,848.8 days (10.5 years). The combined stellar classification of the system is K0.5 IIIb, which matches the spectrum of a normal luminosity giant star. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 2.4, so it is somewhat outshone by its first magnitude neighbors Achernar (α Eridani) and Fomalhaut (α Piscis Austrinus). Based upon parallax measurements, this system is at a distance of about {{Convert|85|ly|pc|abbr=off|lk=on}} from the Earth. The interferometry-measured angular diameter of the primary component, after correcting for limb darkening, is {{Val|5.25|0.06|ul=mas}}, which, at its estimated distance, equates to a physical radius of about 15 times the radius of the Sun.
References
{{reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite Gaia DR3|4993479684438433792}}
{{citation |url=https://www.iau.org/public/themes/naming_stars/ |title=Star Names |website=International Astronomical Union |access-date=2023-07-13 }}
|last1=Kunitzsch |first1=Paul
|last2=Smart |first2=Tim
|date = 2006 |edition = 2nd rev.
|title = A Dictionary of Modern star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations
|publisher = Sky Pub |location = Cambridge, Massachusetts
|isbn = 978-1-931559-44-7
}}
| title=Mg II chromospheric radiative loss rates in cool active and quiet stars
| last1=Cardini | first1=D.
| journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics
| volume=430 | pages=303–311 | date=January 2005
| doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20041440 | bibcode=2005A&A...430..303C |arxiv = astro-ph/0409683 | s2cid=12136256 }}
{{citation | last=Evans | first=D. S. | date=June 20–24, 1966 | editor1-last=Batten | editor1-first=Alan Henry | editor2-last=Heard | editor2-first=John Frederick | title=The Revision of the General Catalogue of Radial Velocities | journal=Determination of Radial Velocities and Their Applications, Proceedings from IAU Symposium No. 30 | volume=30 | page=57| location=University of Toronto | publisher=International Astronomical Union | bibcode=1967IAUS...30...57E }}
{{citation | title=alf Phe -- Spectroscopic binary | work=SIMBAD | publisher=Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg | url=http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=Alpha+Phoenicis | access-date=2012-01-09 }}
{{citation | first1=Kenneth R. | last1=Lang | title=Astrophysical formulae | volume=1 | series=Astronomy and astrophysics library | edition=3rd | publisher=Birkhäuser | date=2006 | isbn=3-540-29692-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OvTjLcQ4MCQC&pg=PA41 }}. The radius (R*) is given by:
:
& = \frac{(10^{-3}\cdot 26\cdot 5.25)\ \text{AU}}{0.0046491\ \text{AU}/R_{\bigodot}} \\
& \approx 29.4\cdot R_{\bigodot}
\end{align}
}}
{{Stars of Phoenix}}
Category:Phoenix (constellation)