Star profile
20 Eridani
Variable starWhat is 20 Eridani
20 Eridani is a blue-white variable star 487 light-years away, also catalogued as EG Eridani: it pulses with a very short period of 1.93 days, swinging between magnitudes 5.17 and 5.22. It is a heartbeat barely perceptible to the naked eye, yet cleanly measured by modern astronomy. It shines along the long course of the celestial River, one of many hot, fast stars peopling that meandering stream of light.
Where it is and when to see it
20 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 21° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 32° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 74° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 73° N.
It ranks no. 59 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 45° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 490 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 20 Eridani
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.24
- Distance
- 486.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 54.073° · Dec -17.467°
- Catalogue
- HIP 16803 · HD 22470
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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 138745.22
- 51 Eridani5.22
- HIP 144565.23
- 24 Eridani5.24
- Tau 7 Eridani5.24