Star profile
Eta Coronae Borealis
Binary systemWhat is Eta Coronae Borealis
It is not one star but two: two suns almost identical to our own, both G-type, orbiting together just 61 light-years away in the Northern Crown. That stellar diadem — associated in myth with the crown Dionysus offered to Ariadne — harbours here one of the closest analogues of our solar system's central engine known in our neighbourhood. In 2001 a brown dwarf was further discovered at the enormous distance of 3,640 astronomical units, drifting slowly around the pair. A silent family that the sky keeps as an echo of our own.
Where it is and when to see it
Eta Coronae Borealis lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is April, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 69° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 80° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 26° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 60° S.
It ranks no. 26 in brightness among the 26 stars of Corona Borealis in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alphecca, the brightest: it lies about 4° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 61 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Eta Coronae Borealis
- Constellation
- Corona Borealis
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.96
- Distance
- 60.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 230.799° · Dec 30.286°
- Catalogue
- HYG 119020 · HD 137108
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Corona Borealis
Corona Borealis has 26 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AlpheccaAlpha Coronae Borealis2.22
- NusakanBeta Coronae Borealis3.66
- Gamma Coronae Borealis3.81
- HIP 782765.61
- HIP 793585.62
- HIP 786495.79
- Upsilon Coronae Borealis5.80
- HIP 774425.89