hip-16470

Variable star

Its story

In the legendary shield of Perseus flickers a blue flame that changes brightness on a calendar of its own, 605 light-years away. Its light left around 1421, when Ming-dynasty Chinese astronomers were recording the motions of Mars on parchment. A variable B-type is a restless beacon: it pulses because its outer layers swell and contract, caught in an impossible equilibrium.

Constellation: Perseus
Apparent magnitude: 5.47
Distance: 605.2 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 53.036° · Dec 48.023°
Catalogue: HIP 16470 · HD 21699

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Symbolic commemorative gift — no ownership, no IAU recognition.