The Solar Neighborhood LV: Spectral Characterization of an Equatorial Sample of 580 K Dwarfs

The Astronomical Journal 2026 Open access

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Authors: Hodari-Sadiki James, S. Carrazco-Gaxiola, Todd J. Henry, Leonardo A. Paredes, Azmain H. Nizak, Xavier Lesley-Saldaña, Wei‐Chun Jao, Abigail Arbogast
DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ae3de3
Cited by: 1
References: 87

Abstract

Abstract We present a spectroscopic characterization of 580 K dwarfs within 33 pc, observed with the CHIRON echelle spectrograph ( R = 80,000) on the SMARTS 1.5 m telescope. This volume-limited sample is part of the RKSTAR survey of ∼4400 K dwarf primaries within 50 pc. Using Empirical SpecMatch and the diagnostic lines H α (6562.8 Å) and Li I (6707.8 Å), we derive stellar properties, activity status, and age indicators calibrated against 35 benchmark K dwarfs with ages from 20 Myr to 5 Gyr. We find that 7.4% (43 stars) exhibit signatures of youth and/or chromospheric activity: 19 stars show lithium absorption indicating ages

Fields of Study & Subjects

Stellar planetary and galactic studies Astronomy and Astrophysical Research Educational Leadership and Practices

Publication details

Journal / source
The Astronomical Journal
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Volume
171
Issue
3
Pages
175–175
Publication date
20 February 2026
Language
EN