Star profile
HIP 101427
Southern polar starWhat 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, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 43° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 9° N.
It ranks no. 25 in brightness among the 35 stars of Octans in our catalogue. To find it, start from Nu Octans, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 520 years ago.
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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
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Other stars in Octans
Octans has 35 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Nu Octans3.73
- Beta Octans4.13
- Delta Octans4.31
- HIP 75685.66
- Gamma 2 Octans5.72
- HIP 1171255.74
- Upsilon Octans5.76
- HIP 10745.78