
Star profile
Beid
Omicron 1 Eridani · Eridanus
Variable starWhat is Beid
Beid winds along Eridanus, the celestial river that flows down from Orion into the southern skies. Its Arabic name «al-baid», the egg, evoked a subtle ovalness imagined by medieval astronomers. A yellowish F-class star 121 light years away, mildly variable, it belongs to a multiple system whose nearby companion, Keid, also features in this very batch.
Where it is and when to see it
Beid 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 32° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 42° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 63° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 83° N.
It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 59° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 120 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Beid
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.04
- Distance
- 121.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 62.966° · Dec -6.838°
- Catalogue
- HIP 19587 · HD 26574
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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
- Nu Eridani3.93
- Beemim3.97
- Mu Eridani4.01
- Tau 3 Eridani4.08
- Iota Eridani4.11