8 Leonis Minoris (8 LMi) is a solitary,[14] red hued star located in the northern constellation Leo Minor. It has an apparent magnitude 5.37,[2] making it faintly visible to the naked eye. Based on parallax measurements from the Gaia satellite, the object is estimated to be 492 light years distant.[1] It is receding with a heliocentric radial velocity of 40 km/s.[6] At its current distance, 8 LMi is diminshed by 0.12 magnitudes due to interstellar dust.[15]
  | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS) | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Right ascension | 09h 31m 32.41045s[1] |
| Declination | +35° 06′ 11.7793″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 5.37[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | AGB[3] |
| Spectral type | M1 IIIab[4] |
| U−B color index | +1.81[2] |
| B−V color index | +1.53[2] |
| Variable type | suspected[5] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | 39.83±0.18[6] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −54.488 mas/yr[1] Dec.: −97.434 mas/yr[1] |
| Parallax (π) | 6.6271 ± 0.0238 mas[1] |
| Distance | 492 ± 2 ly (150.9 ± 0.5 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | −0.43[7] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 1.59[8] M☉ |
| Radius | 48.5[9] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 417±17[10] L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 1.153[11] cgs |
| Temperature | 3,978±122[12] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.25[1] dex |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
This is an asymptotic giant branch star[3] with stellar classification of M1 IIIab.[4] It has 1.59 times the mass of the Sun[8] but has expanded to 48.5 times its girth.[9] It radiates 417 times the luminosity of the Sun[10] from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 3,978 K.[12] 8 LMi has an iron abundance only half of the Sun's, making it metal deficient.[1]
8 LMi's variability was first observed to be variable in 1930 by Joel Stebbins.[16] However, Eggen (1967) instead lists it as an ordinary M-type giant and used the object for comparison.[17] In 1978-9, 8 LMi was again listed as a variable star but did not provide further insight.[18] As of 2017, the star has not been confirmed to be variable.[5]