Star profile
Pi Aquarii
Variable starWhat is Pi Aquarii
It is one of the most studied Be stars in the sky: a blue point spinning at dizzying speeds, surrounded by a disc of gas that appears and fades across the decades. Since the early 20th century astronomers have documented its outbursts, its double-peaked, triple-peaked and almost flat-topped spectral profiles, and an invisible companion — likely a white dwarf — that crosses it every 84 days and triggers an X-ray flare. At 782 light-years away, its light pulses with a story that is never quite the same twice.
Where it is and when to see it
Pi Aquarii lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September: 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.
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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
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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 Pi Aquarii
- Constellation
- Aquarius
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.80
- Distance
- 782.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 336.319° · Dec 1.377°
- Catalogue
- HIP 110672 · HD 212571
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Aquarius
Aquarius has 99 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- SadalsuudBeta Aquarii2.90
- SadalmelikAlpha Aquarii2.95
- SkatDelta Aquarii3.27
- 89 Aquarii4.71
- Mu Aquarii4.73
- Omicron Aquarii4.74
- Sigma Aquarii4.82
- 104 Aquarii4.82