Is Procyon a small star?
“Procyon” is also the genus designation of raccoons. Image via University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Procyon in history and mythology. Procyon is the alpha star of the constellation Canis Minor the Small Dog. In mythology, Canis Minor is the smaller of two of Orion the Hunter’s companion hunting dogs.
Procyon in history and mythology. Procyon is the alpha star of the constellation Canis Minor the Small Dog. In mythology, Canis Minor is the smaller of two of Orion the Hunter’s companion hunting dogs. The constellation Canis Major depicts the Great Dog, highlighted by Sirius, the sky’s brightest star (after the sun).
It will end its life as a white dwarf, one not unlike Procyon B. Procyon B is much smaller than the primary star, with only 0.6 solar masses – unusually low for this type of star – and a size of only 0.012 solar radii. It has an apparent magnitude of only 10.7.
Procyon is a yellow-white, main-sequence star, twice the size and seven times as luminous as the Sun. Like Alpha Centauri, it appears so bright because at 11.4 light-years, it is relatively close. Procyon is orbited by a white-dwarf companion detected visually in 1896 by John M. Schaeberle.
white
A binary star system, Procyon consists of a white-hued main-sequence star of spectral type F5 IV–V, designated component A, in orbit with a faint white dwarf companion of spectral type DQZ, named Procyon B.
Procyon is a binary star system; this means that it is made up of two stars. The main star is Procyon A and the other is known as Procyon B. Procyon A is the brightest of the constellation, being the eighth brightest star in the sky.
– Procyon B, is a dead white dwarf that is believed to have died about 1.19 billion years ago, after having spent only about 680 million years on the main sequence.
Procyon is a binary star system; this means that it is made up of two stars. The main star is Procyon A and the other is known as Procyon B.
Procyon A is bright for its spectral class, suggesting that it is a subgiant that has nearly fused its core hydrogen into helium. It will eventually expand as “burning” moves outside the core and the star swells 80 to 150 times its current diameter. This should happen within 10 to 100 million years.
Procyon A has an estimated 1.5 solar masses, while Procyon B is smaller than our sun – at 0.6 solar masses. Procyon is almost seven times brighter than our sun, having 6.93 solar luminosities. Its dim companion only has 0.00049 solar luminosity.
8,584.9 km
Procyon B/Radius
Procyon is the brightest star in Canis Minor the Lesser Dog. This constellation is small, with only one other noteworthy star, named Gomeisa.
