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Star profile

HIP 101427

Southern polar star
3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is HIP 101427

Near the southern celestial pole, in the discreet constellation Octans, shines a yellow G-type star, a spectral cousin of the Sun. Its austral position makes it almost the centre of the southern sky's rotation, a faint compass for sailors of old. Its light set out around 522 years ago, when Castilian astronomers were publishing revised Alfonsine tables and the first caravels were venturing south of Madeira.

Where it is and when to see it

HIP 101427 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is July: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.

Find it on the sky map

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The signature wall

Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works

If you don't have an account yet, we'll ask for an email to confirm it's you: we send you a link and that's it, no password.

A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for HIP 101427

Constellation
Octans
Apparent magnitude
5.76
Distance
521.9 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 308.323° · Dec -80.965°
Catalogue
HIP 101427 · HD 193721

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Octans

Octans has 35 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 35 stars in Octans