Star · K1III
K2-161
K2-161 is a giant star of spectral type K1III in the constellation Virgo, 2,989 light-years from the Sun. It is orbited by 1 confirmed exoplanet(s).
| Constellation | Virgo |
|---|---|
| Distance | 2,989 light-years (916.3 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.72 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude 2.91 |
| Spectral type | K1III |
| Surface temperature | 4,970 K |
| Luminosity | 8.3 L☉ |
| Radius | 2.57 R☉ |
| Mass | 0.987 M☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | -0.03 |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 15m 10.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −3° 29′ 44″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 71.2 km/s |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.72. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 87° N. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 964 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 53 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around K2-161, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 14.64, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Pisces. It would be invisible to the naked eye.
Planets
- K2-161 b 9.28-day orbit · 6.12 R⊕
Stellar parameters from the NASA Exoplanet Archive; position and brightness from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue.