Delta Velorum

Delta Velorum (δ Vel / δ Velorum) is a star system in the constellation Vela. It is approximately 79.7 light years from Earth.

The system is composed of two binary stars. The brightest of the four stars, δ Velorum A, is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +2.02. Its binary companion, δ Velorum B, has a magnitude of +5.1 and is separated from the A component by 2.6 arcseconds.

The second binary system is 69 arcseconds away. It is composed of the 11th magnitude δ Velorum C and the 13th magnitude δ Velorum D, which are 6 arcseconds apart.

This star was recently discovered to be variable by the Galileo spaceprobe at Jupiter. [1] It fluctuates by about 30% every 45 days. Curiously, being one of the brighter stars in the sky, this had not been noticed previously.

Because of precession, δ Velorum will be the South Polar Star around 9000 AD.