Star profile
5 Eridani
Hot blue starWhat is 5 Eridani
5 Eridani is a hot blue B-type star along the long course of Eridanus, the celestial river that winds from Rigel down to the southern limits. Its surface burns well above ten thousand kelvin, giving it the blue-white tint of early-type, massive stars. From 362 light-years, its light departed in the early seventeenth century, while Kepler was still computing the elliptical orbit of Mars from Tycho's observations.
Where it is and when to see it
5 Eridani lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is November, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 36° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 47° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 59° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 88° N.
It ranks no. 80 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 57° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 360 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 5 Eridani
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.56
- Distance
- 362.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 44.922° · Dec -2.465°
- Catalogue
- HIP 13951 · HD 18633
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Other stars in Eridanus
Eridanus has 129 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AchernarAlpha Eridani0.45
- CursaBeta Eridani2.78
- AcamarTheta 1 Eridani2.88
- HIP 79785.52
- 22 Eridani5.53
- HIP 220285.53
- HIP 167805.56
- 25 Eridani5.56