Star profile
Kappa Hydrus
What is Kappa Hydrus
Kappa Hydri shines quietly in the most austral cycle of the heavens, within the small Male Water Snake that only appears at southern latitudes. It is an orange K-type giant 317 light-years away, an aged and dilated star whose tepid light blends with the diffuse dust of the southern Milky Way. Its journey to our eyes began decades after Cervantes had already written Don Quixote, and crosses a sky European classicism never knew until the great nautical voyages of the sixteenth century.
Where it is and when to see it
Kappa Hydrus lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is August, 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 50° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 16° N.
It ranks no. 20 in brightness among the 20 stars of Hydrus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Beta Hydrus, the brightest: it lies about 8° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 320 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 Kappa Hydrus
- Constellation
- Hydrus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.99
- Distance
- 317.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 35.718° · Dec -73.646°
- Catalogue
- HIP 11095 · HD 15248
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Hydrus
Hydrus has 20 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Beta Hydrus2.82
- Alpha Hydrus2.86
- Gamma Hydrus3.26
- HIP 145215.67
- HIP 79215.70
- HIP 66315.92
- HIP 159685.96
- HIP 17065.96