HD 85951 (HR 3923), formally named Felis , is a solitary orange hued star in the constellation Hydra. It has an apparent magnitude of 4.94, making it faintly visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions. Based on parallax measurements, the object is about 570 light-years away from the Sun and is receding with a heliocentric radial velocity of 50 km/s.
Nomenclature
HD 85951 was the brightest star in the now-obsolete constellation of Felis. In 2016, the IAU organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Felis for this star on 1 June 2018 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.
Properties
This an evolved red giant with a stellar classification of K5 III. It is currently on the asymptotic giant branch, generating energy via fusion of hydrogen and helium shells around an inert carbon core. At present Felis has 6.4 times the mass of the Sun and due to its evolved status, has an enlarged radius of 56.7 R☉. It radiates at a bolometric luminosity 721 times that of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 3,875 K. Felis has an iron abundance 66% that of the Sun, making it metal deficient.
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