- Kappa Velorum
Starbox begin
name=Kappa Velorum Starbox observe
epoch=J2000
ra=09h 22m 06.8s
dec=-55° 00′ 39″
appmag_v=2.47
constell=Vela Starbox character
class=B2 IV-V
b-v=-0.18
u-b=-0.75
variable= Starbox astrometry
radial_v=22
prop_mo_ra=-10.72
prop_mo_dec=11.24
parallax=6.05
p_error=0.48
absmag_v=-3.62 Starbox catalog
names=Markab, HR 3734, HD 81188, SAO 236891, FK5 353, CPD P-54 2219, GC 12938, HIP 45941.Kappa Velorum (κ Vel / κ Velorum) is a
binary star in theconstellation Vela. It also has the traditional nameMarkab , a name it shares with the starAlpha Pegasi .Kappa Velorum is
spectroscopic binary which is classified as a blue-white B-typesubgiant with anapparent magnitude of +2.47. It is approximately 539light years fromEarth . The two components complete one orbit every 116.65 days.The star is only a couple of degrees from the south celestial pole of
Mars , so it could therefore be considered the southern polar star ofMars . Due toprecession of the equinoxes , it will be the closest bright star of note to the south celestial pole of Earth in the period surrounding 9000 AD.Do not mistake Mark"e"b as Mark"a"b. They are both two different stars.
References
* "The path of the Southern Celestial Pole": The System of W. B. Yeats's A Vision [http://www.yeatsvision.com/Astronomy.html] Diagram of the southern precession circle, showing Markeb as the South Pole Star in 9000 AD.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.