Star profile

HIP 116957

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

What is HIP 116957

In the long meander of Aquarius, an orange K-type star gleams about 270 light years away. Its light departed around 1756, in the heart of the European Enlightenment, when cabinets of curiosities were turning into the first scientific museums. Cooler than the Sun and bathed in an amber glow, it carries that stillness typical of stars that have tempered their youth. The Water Bearer takes it in among figures of liquids and clouds, and its unhurried pulse fits perfectly with the calm of that trail of faint stars.

Where it is and when to see it

HIP 116957 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 23° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 34° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 72° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 75° N.

It ranks no. 44 in brightness among the 99 stars of Aquarius in our catalogue. To find it, start from Sadalsuud, the brightest: it lies about 34° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 270 years ago.

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Astronomical data for HIP 116957

Constellation: Aquarius
Apparent magnitude: 5.27
Distance: 270.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 355.616° · Dec -15.448°
Catalogue: HIP 116957 · HD 222643

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.

See all 99 stars in Aquarius