NOTABLE STARS A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z                    HOME ABOUT CATEGORIES SITE MAP COPYRIGHT ADVERTISE CONTACT entire Web this site Ross 128 Photo: ESO Online Digitized Sky Survey A nearby red dwarf that is also a flare star. Ross 128, also known by its variable-star name FI Virginis, lies in the constellation Virgo near the line of the ecliptic, at a distance of 10.92 light-years (3.35 pc). It was discovered in 1925 by Frank Elmore Ross who first reported it in his "Second List of New Proper-Motion Stars," Astronomical Journal (36:856). Its nearest neighbor is Wolf 359, at a distance from it of 3.79 light-years (1.16 pc). Visual magnitude 11.16 Absolute magnitude 13.54 Spectral type M4V Luminosity 0.00029 Lsun Surface temperature 2,800 K Radius 0.21 Rsun Mass 0.16 Msun Distance 10.92 light-years (3.35 pc) Radial velocity -31.3 km/s Position R.A. 11h 47m 44.4s, Dec. +00° 48' 16" Other designations FI Virginis, GCTP 2730, LHS 315, GJ 447, Gl 010-050, Vyssotsky 286, LTT 13240, LFT 852, HIP 57548 Ross 128 in science fiction As in the case of a number of other stars that are either near neighbors of the Sun or bright stars in our night sky, Ross 128 has made appearances in science fiction. In Gregory Benford's Across the Sea of Suns (1984), it is depicted as having a planet with a large moon that is home to a race of intelligent amphibians. In the short story "Galactic North," by Alastair Reynolds, Ross 128 is the source of an outbreak of self-replicating machines (see von Neumann probe), which poses a threat to living things across the Galaxy. Related entry    • nearest stars Related category    • NOTABLE STARS Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) BACK TO TOP