Star profile
HIP 104978
What is HIP 104978
A white A-type star glows within the southern constellation of Indus, hotter and more luminous than the Sun, with the cool clarity of a young, stable star. Its light set out around four centuries ago, when European voyagers were charting the southern hemisphere and discovering constellations the ancients had never seen. After 428 light-years it arrives tonight, faithful witness of a time when the southern sky finally entered the catalogues of humankind.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 104978 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 culminates about 71° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 37° N.
It ranks no. 16 in brightness among the 19 stars of Indus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Indus, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 430 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 104978
- Constellation
- Indus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.73
- Distance
- 428.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 318.941° · Dec -53.263°
- Catalogue
- HIP 104978 · HD 202103
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Indus
Indus has 19 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Indus3.11
- Beta Indus3.67
- Theta Indus4.39
- HIP 1109355.56
- HIP 1077735.62
- Kappa 2 Indus5.62
- HIP 1036735.76
- HIP 1106685.78