Star profile
HIP 17798
What is HIP 17798
In Eridanus, already far south of its source, glows an orange K-type star. Its light has been travelling for 593 years: it set off around 1432, the very year the Portuguese discovered the Azores islands in their Atlantic advance. Cooler than the Sun, it appears in the celestial river like a discreet lantern, held up by the current of its own constellation.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 17798 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 18° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 28° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 77° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 69° N.
It ranks no. 109 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 44° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 590 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 17798
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.81
- Distance
- 593.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 57.149° · Dec -20.903°
- Catalogue
- HIP 17798 · HD 23978
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
- HIP 195715.80
- HIP 239165.80
- HIP 141875.81
- HIP 204655.81
- 6 Eridani5.82