Star profile
Nu Tucanae
Variable starWhat is Nu Tucanae
Nu Tucanae is a variable red giant, cool and vast, about 290 light-years away in the southern Toucan. M-type stars like it breathe slowly: their radius swells and contracts over long periods, modulating brightness in whispers. In a sky populated by the Small Magellanic Cloud, its deep redness adds a warm tone to the scene.
Where it is and when to see it
Nu Tucanae 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 62° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 28° N.
It ranks no. 9 in brightness among the 28 stars of Tucana in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Tucanae, the brightest: it lies about 2° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 290 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 Nu Tucanae
- Constellation
- Tucana
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.91
- Distance
- 290.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 338.250° · Dec -61.982°
- Catalogue
- HIP 111310 · HD 213442
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Other stars in Tucana
Tucana has 28 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Tucanae2.87
- Gamma Tucanae3.99
- Zeta Tucanae4.23
- Epsilon Tucanae4.49
- Delta Tucanae4.51
- Beta 2 Tucanae4.53
- Eta Tucanae5.00
- Beta 3 Tucanae5.07