Properties
This is believed to be a solitary star, although it has a faint optical companion at an angular separation of 13.5 arcseconds, making it a double star. The stellar classification of Alpha Columbae is B7 IV, with the luminosity class of IV indicating it has evolved into a subgiant star. The spectrum shows it to be a Be star surrounded by a hot gaseous disk, which is generating emission lines because of hydrogen recombination. Like most if not all such stars, it is rotating rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of 176 km s–1. The azimuthal equatorial velocity may be 457 km s–1. It is a suspected Gamma Cassiopeiae type (GCAS) variable star, with its apparent magnitude varying from 2.62m to 2.66m.
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