Zeta Tucanae
| Zeta Tucanae | |
| Stellar characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Tucana |
| Right ascension (Epoch J2000) | 00h 20m 04.26s |
| Declination (Epoch J2000) | -64° 52' 29.25" |
| Spectral type | F8-G0 V |
| Distance from Sol | 28.0 ly |
| Other designations | Zet Tuc, HR 77, Gl 17, AC+48 1595, Hip 1599, HD 1581, CP(D)-65 13, SAO 248163, FK5 10, LHS 5, LTT 167, LPM 16, LFT 36. |
Zeta Tucanae is located about 28.0 light-years from Sol. It lies in the central part of the constellation Tucana, the Toucan. Zeta Tucanae is a yellowish main sequence dwarf of spectral and luminosity type F8-G0 V, with about 98 percent of Sol's mass, 1.1 times its diameter, and 1.3 times its luminosity. The star may be only 44 to 79 percent as enriched as Sol with elements heavier than hydrogen ("metallicity"), based on its abundance of iron [1].
Spectroscopic analysis suggests that Zeta Tucanae may have an unseen companion.
A radial velocity study failed to detect a brown dwarf sized companion (with 20 to 80 times the mass of Jupiter) within 10 AUs of Zeta Tucanae[2]. The orbit of an Earth-like planet (with liquid water) around this star would be centered around 1.14 AU -- somewhat outside the orbital distance of Earth in the Solar System -- with an orbital period of about one and a quarter of an Earth year.
