Star profile

Beta Hydrus

Nearby star

3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is Beta Hydrus

It is the brightest star in Hydrus and, at just 24 light-years away, one of the closest aged twins of the Sun ever found. A G-type subgiant that has already exhausted the hydrogen in its core and begun to swell, astronomers study it as a preview of the fate awaiting our own star several billion years from now. Around 150 BC it lay only two degrees from the south celestial pole and served as a southern reference for early navigators.

Where it is and when to see it

Beta 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 July, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it never rises above the horizon.
From New York it never rises above the horizon.
From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 47° up.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 13° N.

It is the brightest of the 20 stars of Hydrus in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.

The light you see today left it about 24 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Beta Hydrus

Constellation: Hydrus
Apparent magnitude: 2.82
Distance: 24.3 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 6.419° · Dec -77.254°
Catalogue: HIP 2021 · HD 2151

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.

See all 20 stars in Hydrus