4,417 bytes added
, 14:56, July 5, 2019
{{Night Sky
| image =
| designation =α Men<br/>HIP29271
| rightascension =06<sup>h</sup> 10<sup>m</sup> 14.4741<sup>s</sup><ref name=simbad>{{cite web|url=https://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=alpha+mensae&NbIdent=1&Radius=2&Radius.unit=arcmin&submit=submit+id|title=Alpha Mensae|accessdate=2019-07-05|work=Simbad Astronomical Database|publisher=simbad.u-strasbg.fr}}
</ref><ref name=vizie>Gaia Colaboration. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Gaia DR2 (Gaia Collaboration, 2018). (2018). ''VizieR Online Data Catalog''. [https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/#abs/2018yCat.1345....0G/abstract Bibcode:2018yCat.1345....0G]</ref>
| declination =-74° 45′ 10.9635″<ref name=simbad/><ref name=vizie/>
| distance =33.26 ly<ref name=universeguide>{{cite web|url=https://www.universeguide.com/star/alphamensae|title=Alpha Mensae|accessdate=2019-07-05|publisher=universeguide.com}}</ref>
| constellation =Mensa
| type =Main sequence star
| dimensions =
| magnitude =Apparent Mag: +5.08<ref name=universeguide/><br/>Absolute Mag: +5.05<ref name=universeguide/>
| redshift =
| radvelocity =36.15±0.13 km/s<ref name=simbad/><ref name=vizie/>
| propmotion =RA: 121.203 mas/yr<ref name=simbad/><ref name=vizie/><br/>Dec.: -212.100 mas/yr<ref name=simbad/><ref name=vizie/>
| parallax =97.8983±0.0719 mas<ref name=simbad/><ref name=vizie/>
}}
'''Alpha Mensae''' (α Men, HIP29271) is a [[main sequence star]] in the [[constellation]] of [[Mensa]].<ref name=universeguide/> with an apprent magnitude of +5.08, it is in fact the brightest star in Mensa, the next brightest is Gamma Mensae.<ref name=universeguide/> It is noted for its high [[proper motion]] (how position of the star in the sky changes) compared to most stars. The star is just about bright enough to be seen with the naked eye in good conditions and its low [[declination]] means is is best observed in the southern hemisphere. The star's [[spectral type|spectral class]] of G5V means it appears yellow/white similar to the [[Sun]]. It was one of the top 100 stars for [[NASA]]'s Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) mission before it was cancelled.<ref name=solstation>{{cite web|url=http://www.solstation.com/stars/alpmensa.htm|title=Alpha Mensae|accessdate=2019-07-05|publisher=solstation.com}}</ref> No planetary bodies have been detected around the star by other missions.
With a distance of 33.26 [[light year]]s, Alpha Mensae is one of the closer [[star]]s to [[Earth]].<ref name=universeguide/> It is thought to have a mass of 0.91 [[solar mass]]es, though other put it higher at 1.1 solar masses.<ref name=illinois>{{cite web|url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/alphamen.html|title=Alpha Mensae|accessdate=2019-07-05|author=Jim Kaler|work=Stars|date=2015-06-16|publisher=stars.astro.illinois.edu}}</ref> Its [[diameter]] is also slightly smaller at 84-91% than that of the Sun.<ref name=solstation/><ref>
{{cite journal
|last1=Perrin |first1=M.
|last2=Karoji |first2=H.
|title=Stellar radius determination from IRAS 12 mu.m fluxes
|journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics
|volume=172
|issue=1-2|page=235-240|date=1987
|bibcode=1987A&A...172..235P
|ref=harv
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite journal
|last1=Johnson |first1=H.
|last2=Wright |first2=C.
|title=Predicted infrared brightness of stars within 25 parsecs of the sun
|journal=The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
|volume=53
|page=643|date=1983
|doi=10.1086/190905
|bibcode=1983ApJS...53..643J
|ref=harv
}}
</ref> The star was thought to possess a luminosity of around 80% that of the Sun, though more recent measurements place it higher at 93%.<ref name=illinois/><ref name=universeguide/> The star has a slightly greater [[metallicity]] than the Sun (amount of [[element]]s heavier than [[hydrogen]] and [[helium]] in the star).<ref>
{{cite journal
|last1=Cayrel de Strobel |first1=G.
|last2=Hauck |first2=B.
|last3=Francois |first3=O.
|display-authors=3
|title=A catalogue of Fe/H determinations - 1991 edition
|journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series
|volume=95
|page=273-336|date=1992
|bibcode=1992A&AS...95..273C
|ref=harv
}}</ref>
The star is a slow rotator, meaning it rotates once every 32 days.<ref name=illinois/> The star has a B-V Colour Index of 0.71 and a temperature of 5,533 Kelvin.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Stars}}
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Stars]]