Alpha Indi
Star in the constellation Indus
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Characteristics
The stellar classification of Alpha Indi is K0 III-IV, meaning that it has exhausted the hydrogen at its core and evolved away from the main sequence, being now halfway between a subgiant and a giant star. It is estimated to be 1.6 billion years old, has 2.15 times the mass of the Sun, but has expanded to 9.9 times the radius of the Sun and irradiates 51 times its luminosity. The effective temperature of its photosphere is 4,900 K, giving it the characteristic orange hue of a K-type star. It may have two nearby M-type companion stars, which are located at least 2,000 AU from the primary.
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Nomenclature
Alpha Indi (Latinized from α Indi, abbreviated α Ind) is the star's Bayer designation. This star is occasionally called "the Persian", after the Chinese name of its constellation, 波斯 (Bō Sī, English: Persia), which was introduced by Jesuit missionaries (see Indus in Chinese astronomy). The Chinese name of α Indi itself is 波斯二 (Bō Sī èr, English: the Second Star of Persia). In R. H. Allen's 1899 book Star Names, this Chinese name was transliterated as Pe Sze.
α Indi and α Pavonis (Peacock) formed the Arabic asterism al-ṣuradān (الصردان), the Two Shrikes, located behind the Domed Tent (al-qubba القبة, Corona Australis).