Beta Eridani

Beta Eridani (Beta Eri, β Eridani, β Eri) is the second brightest star in the constellation of Eridanus, located in the northeast end of this constellation near the shared border with Orion. It has the traditional name Cursa. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is 2.796, so it can be viewed with the naked eye in dark skies. Parallax measurements yield an estimated distance of about 89 light-years (27 parsecs) from the Earth.

Properties

β Eridani has a spectral type of A3 III, with the III luminosity class indicating this is a giant star that has consumed the hydrogen at its core and evolved away from the main sequence. The effective temperature of the outer envelope is about 8,104 K, which gives the star a white hue typical of A-type stars. The projected rotational velocity is a rapid 196 km s⁻¹, compared to 2 km s⁻¹ along the Sun's equator. The star is known to vary in apparent visual magnitude, ranging between 2.72 and 2.80. A particularly strong flare up was reported in 1985.