Star profile

Rho Grus

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Rho Grus

Rho Gruis is a solitary orange K0 giant in the southern constellation of the Crane, a bird placed in the sky in 1597 by navigators Keyser and de Houtman. At 230 light-years, her warm tone contrasts with the three brighter stars that trace the crane's neck pointing south. Two very faint visual companions appear in her catalogs, too weak to alter her dominant glow.

Where it is and when to see it

Rho Grus 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 culminates about 8° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 82° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 49° N.

It ranks no. 12 in brightness among the 39 stars of Grus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alnair, the brightest: it lies about 8° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 230 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Rho Grus

Constellation: Grus
Apparent magnitude: 4.84
Distance: 230.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 340.875° · Dec -41.414°
Catalogue: HIP 112203 · HD 215104

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Other stars in Grus

Grus has 39 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 39 stars in Grus