Star profile
HIP 17884
Variable starWhat is HIP 17884
In Camelopardalis burns a red giant whose brightness refuses to stay still: it pulses like a slow breath spanning weeks. Its reddish, ancient light set out nearly eight centuries ago, when Gothic masons were raising the great cathedrals of the Île-de-France. Far larger than the Sun, it stands in the final chapters of its life, shedding thin veils into the surrounding dark.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 17884 lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is December, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 76° up.
- From New York it never sets and culminates about 65° up.
- From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 24° S.
It ranks no. 4 in brightness among the 75 stars of Camelopardalis in our catalogue. To find it, start from Beta Camelopardalis, the brightest: it lies about 10° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 800 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 17884
- Constellation
- Camelopardalis
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.39
- Distance
- 795.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 57.380° · Dec 65.526°
- Catalogue
- HIP 17884 · HD 23475
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Camelopardalis
Camelopardalis has 75 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Beta Camelopardalis4.03
- HIP 162284.21
- Alpha Camelopardalis4.26
- 7 Camelopardalis4.43
- HIP 162814.55
- HIP 336944.55
- Gamma Camelopardalis4.59
- HIP 155204.74