Star profile
Upsilon Octans
Southern polar starWhat is Upsilon Octans
Upsilon Octantis lies 324 light-years away in the cartographic heart of the southern polar sky. The Octant, devised by Lacaille, is the constellation that holds the south celestial pole, and all its stars share the rare property of never setting below the horizon for an observer at very southern latitudes. This orange K-type giant is one of the warm points in a region ruled by faint stars and the slow turning of the firmament around the pole.
Where it is and when to see it
Upsilon Octans lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is June, 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 38° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 4° N.
It ranks no. 26 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 320 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Upsilon Octans
- Constellation
- Octans
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.76
- Distance
- 324.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 337.908° · Dec -85.967°
- Catalogue
- HIP 111196 · HD 211539
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Other stars in Octans
Octans has 35 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Nu Octans3.73
- Beta Octans4.13
- Delta Octans4.31
- Gamma 2 Octans5.72
- HIP 1171255.74
- HIP 1014275.76
- HIP 10745.78
- HIP 1162505.82