HD_74180
HD 74180
Binary star system in the constellation Vela
HD 74180 is a binary star in the constellation Vela. It is approximately 3,200 light years from Earth. The primary component is a yellow-white F-type supergiant with a mean apparent magnitude of +3.81, with a 10th magnitude companion 37.5 arcseconds distant.[9]
b Velorum has been classified as a suspected α Cygni variable star which varies by only 0.06 magnitude. There are possible periods near 53, 80, and 160 days, but the variation is largely irregular.[4] It lies less than a degree from the small open cluster NGC 2645, but is not a member.[6]
Several studies have considered b Velorum to be a highly luminous supergiant or hypergiant with an early F spectral type, for example F2 Ia+,[4] F0 Ia,[10] and F4 I.[11] There were corresponding luminosity estimates of several hundred thousand L☉. A 2015 study used the Barbier-Chalonge-Divan (BCD) system to derive a luminosity of 38,000 L☉ and a cooler less luminous F8 Ib spectral type.[6]