24 Aquilae (abbreviated 24 Aql) is a star in the equatorial constellation of Aquila. 24 Aquilae is its Flamsteed designation. It is located at a distance of around 434 light-years (133 parsecs)[1] from Earth and has an apparent visual magnitude of 6.4.[2] According to the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale, this star is just visible to the naked eye in dark rural skies. It is drifting closer to the Sun with a radial velocity of −26 km/s.[1]

This is a so-called mild barium star, as identified by the presence of a weak absorption line of singly-ionized barium atoms at a wavelength of 455.4 nm. Such stars display an atmospheric overabundance of carbon and the heavy elements produced by the s-process, which was most likely transferred into the atmosphere by a wide binary stellar companion. However, in the case of 24 Aquilae, the abundances of heavy elements are near normal.[4]

At an estimated age of a half billion years,[4] 24 Aquilae is a evolved giant star with a stellar classification of K0 IIIa.[4] It has more than double the mass of the Sun, 11 times the Sun's radius, and shines with 56 times the Sun's luminosity.[1] It is radiating this energy into space from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 4,733 K.[1] This heat is what gives it the cool orange hue characteristic of a K-type star.[7]

References

External links

• HR 7321
• Image 24 Aquilae