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Star profile

HIP 1074

Southern polar star
3D likeness based on its real data · class M · ~3,200 K

What is HIP 1074

In Octans, the constellation that frames the celestial south pole, this cool red M-type giant shines. Its light set out around the year 1052, when a supernova in Taurus produced the Crab Nebula, recorded by Chinese astronomers. Octans can only be seen from the southern hemisphere: this star belongs to the inverted sky that the ancient Mediterranean civilisations never knew.

Where it is and when to see it

HIP 1074 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 39° up.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 5° N.

It ranks no. 27 in brightness among the 35 stars of Octans in our catalogue. To find it, start from Nu Octans, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 970 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on HIP 1074

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, 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 1074

Constellation
Octans
Apparent magnitude
5.78
Distance
973.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 3.331° · Dec -84.994°
Catalogue
HIP 1074 · HD 1032

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