Alpha Volantis

Alpha Volantis is a star with an apparent magnitude of +4.00 in the constellation Volans.

Properties

α Vol is a white class A2.5 IV subgiant that lies 124 light years away. It has a surface temperature of 8430 K, a luminosity of 29 suns, a radius of 2.5 suns, a mass of 2.2 suns, and an age about halfway through its 890-million-year hydrogen-fusing lifetime.

α Vol is a slowly rotating metallic-line star, in which chemical elements are separated by diffusion. The measured equatorial rotation speed of 34 km/sec, and rotation period under 3.7 days, is not sufficient to keep the atmosphere stirred up. In a quiet stellar atmosphere, some atoms are lofted upward by radiation, and others settle downward under the force of gravity. The phenomenon makes spectral classification difficult, since it is based on a chemistry of normal, solar proportions.

Many class A stars (like Vega and Fomalhaut) are surrounded by dust disks that imply a real (or forming) planetary systems. Some sources say Alpha Volantis is one as well. The star may also be a spectroscopic binary, but the reference goes back to 1905 and is probably the result of poor observations.

[Adapted from STARS by Jim Kaler, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, University of Illinois]