Star profile
HIP 16870
What is HIP 16870
Two hundred and thirty light-years out, lost in the bends of Eridanus, this orange dwarf burns with the calm of K-type stars —less fierce than the Sun, more patient. Its light set out toward us when James Watt was patenting his steam engine and Europe stood, unaware, on the threshold of the Industrial Revolution.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 16870 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is October, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 9° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 84° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 50° N.
It ranks no. 34 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 26° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 230 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 16870
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.57
- Distance
- 230.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 54.274° · Dec -40.275°
- Catalogue
- HIP 16870 · HD 22663
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
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
- 32 Eridani4.46
- Tau 1 Eridani4.47
- Upsilon 1 Eridani4.49
- HIP 173514.59
- Tau 9 Eridani4.62