Gam

Its story

Gamma Hydri is a red giant of M-type in the small southern constellation of the male Water Snake, traced by Dutch navigators in the late sixteenth century. About 214 light-years away, its coppery hue stands out against the deep skies near the south celestial pole. An aged star drifting beyond the main sequence, its swollen surface foreshadows the fate of most modest stars —to expand, cool and glow red before the long silence.