Alpha Microscopii
star in the constellation Microscopium
Alpha Microscopii (α Microscopii) is a star in the southern constellation of Microscopium. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.89. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 8.2508 mas as seen from the Earth, it is located 395 light years from the Sun, give or take 7 light years. The star is moving nearer to the Sun with a heliocentric radial velocity of −15 km/s
This is an evolved giant star of type G with a stellar classification of either G7 III or G8 III depending on the source. At the age of 400 million years, it has an estimated 3.19 times the mass of the Sun and has expanded to 18.4 times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 173 times the Sun's luminosity from its expanded photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,881 K, giving a yellow hue.
This star has an optical visual companion, CCDM J20500-3347B, of apparent visual magnitude 10.0 approximately 20.4 arcseconds away at a position angle of 166°. It has no physical connection to the star described above. As for Alpha Microscopii, it was found to be a probable spectroscopic binary in 2014.
The public source identifies “Alpha Microscopii” as star in the constellation Microscopium. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Alpha, Microscopii and star.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Alpha Microscopii”, the useful work is to connect “star in the constellation Microscopium” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2535833. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2014.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Alpha Microscopii”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Alpha Microscopii primary sources, Alpha Microscopii archive and Alpha research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Alpha Microscopii”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Alpha Microscopii” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.