Β_Sextantis
Beta Sextantis
Star in the constellation Sextans
Beta Sextantis, Latinized from β Sextantis, is a variable star in the equatorial constellation of Sextans. With an apparent visual magnitude of 5.07,[2] it is faintly visible to the naked eye on a dark night. According to the Bortle scale, it can be viewed from brighter lit suburban skies. The distance to this star, based upon an annual parallax shift of 8.96 mas,[1] is around 364 light years.
This star served as a primary standard in the MK spectral classification system with a stellar classification of B6 V,[3] indicating that it is a B-type main sequence star. However, Houk and Swift (1999) list a classification of B5 IV/V, suggesting it may be transitioning into a subgiant star.[4] It has served as a uvby photometric standard, but is also categorized as an Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variable[5] with a suspected period of 15.4 days. This lengthy a period conflicts with a relatively high projected rotational velocity of 85 km/s, leaving the explanation for the variance unresolved.[10][3]