Epsilon Eridani

Epsilon Eridani (ε Eri, ε Eridani), or Ran, is a star in the southern constellation Eridanus, along a declination 9.46° south of the celestial equator. This allows it to be viewed from most of Earth's surface. At a distance of 10.5 light years (ly), it has an apparent magnitude of 3.73. It is the third closest individual star or star system visible to the unaided eye and was the closest star known to host a planet until the unconfirmed discovery of Alpha Centauri Bb. Its age is estimated at less than a billion years. Because of its youth, Epsilon Eridani has a higher level of magnetic activity than the present-day Sun, with a stellar wind 30 times as strong. Its rotation period is 11.2 days at the equator. Epsilon Eridani is smaller and less massive than the Sun, and has a comparatively lower level of elements heavier than helium. It is a main-sequence star of spectral class K2, which means that energy generated at the core through nuclear fusion of hydrogen is emitted from the surface at a temperature of about 5,000 K, giving it an orange hue.