HD 136138, or HR 5692, is a binary star system in the Serpens Caput segment of the Serpens constellation. It has a golden hue like the Sun and is dimly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.68;[2] the light contribution from the companion is effectively negligible.[8] This system is located at a distance of approximately 420 light years from the Sun based on parallax.[1] It is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −7.7 km/s[2] and has a proper motion of 23.5 mas·yr−1.[8]
The radial velocity variation of this star was reported by J. R. de Medeiros and M. Mayor in 1999,[5] and it was confirmed as a binary by A. Frankowski and colleagues in 2007 using proper motion measurements.[3] It is an unresolved, single-lined spectroscopic binary system with an orbital period of 1.39 years and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.335. Proper motion measurements allow an estimate of the orbital inclination angle as ~43°.[7] Their semimajor axis is around 2.0 AU, or double the distance from the Earth to the Sun.[8]
The stellar classification of the primary component is G8IIIa,[4] indicating this is a evolved G-type giant star that has exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core. It is a red clump giant that is generating energy through core helium fusion. There is some ambiguous evidence for this being a mild barium star[7] of class Ba0.3,[8] with the spectra showing marginal overabundances of s-process elements.[8] A low level of X-ray emission has been detected, which appears to be coming from the star's corona.[6]
The high level of ultraviolet flux coming from this system strongly suggests the companion is a compact white dwarf. Mass estimates put it in the range of 0.6 to 0.8 times the mass of the Sun, and the temperature is around 30,400 K.[7] It is possible that the earlier evolution of this component contaminated its partner with s-process elements, although the resulting interaction should have circularized the orbit to some degree.[5] The dwarf has a visual magnitude of 15.3 and a hydrogen-dominated atmospheric class of DA1.7.[3]