Star profile
HIP 118277
Variable starWhat is HIP 118277
The Sculptor, a quiet constellation of the southern hemisphere, holds this orange variable giant 738 light-years away. Its light set out when Marco Polo was returning to Venice with his tales of Cathay and the Chinese printing press was just beginning to reproduce books. A K-class pulse that crossed the Middle Ages to arrive, still trembling, on this very night.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 118277 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 9° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 20° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 86° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 61° N.
It ranks no. 18 in brightness among the 33 stars of Sculptor in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Sculptor, the brightest: it lies about 13° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 740 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 HIP 118277
- Constellation
- Sculptor
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.59
- Distance
- 738.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 359.866° · Dec -29.485°
- Catalogue
- HIP 118277 · HD 224630
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Sculptor
Sculptor has 33 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Sculptor4.30
- Beta Sculptor4.38
- Gamma Sculptor4.41
- HIP 72135.49
- Sigma Sculptor5.50
- HIP 26615.55
- Xi Sculptor5.59
- HIP 1142545.60