hip-104750

Its story

Deep in the southern sky, within the small constellation of Microscopium, shines this orange K-type star. Its light set out around 367 years ago, when Antoni van Leeuwenhoek first observed microorganisms through his hand-polished lenses. Cooler than the Sun yet swollen with age, it reveals a calm orange typical of mature stars. Its austral corner is modest but fitting: a constellation devoted to the instrument that uncovered the invisible now keeps watch over a distant flame.