Eta Columbae is a solitary star near the southern boundary of the constellation Columba. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from η Columbae, and abbreviated Eta Col or η Col. This star is visible to the naked eye, having an apparent visual magnitude of 3.96. Based upon an annual parallax shift of , it lies at a distance of approximately from the Sun. It is drifting further away with a line of sight velocity component of +17 km/s.
This is an orange-hued K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K0 III, or possibly a bright giant with a crossover class of G8/K1 II. It has an estimated 4.7 times the mass of the Sun and has expanded to 35.6 times the Sun's radius. This star is radiating 564 times the solar luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,715 K.
References