Star profile
Gamma Hydrus
Cool red starWhat is Gamma Hydrus
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.
Where it is and when to see it
Gamma Hydrus lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is August: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 Gamma Hydrus
- Constellation
- Hydrus
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.26
- Distance
- 214.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 56.809° · Dec -74.239°
- Catalogue
- HIP 17678 · HD 24512
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Hydrus
Hydrus has 20 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Beta Hydrus2.82
- Alpha Hydrus2.86
- Delta Hydrus4.08
- Epsilon Hydrus4.12
- Eta 2 Hydrus4.68
- Nu Hydrus4.76
- Zeta Hydrus4.83
- Lambda Hydrus5.09