Star profile
Xi Eridani
What is Xi Eridani
Xi Eridani is a white A-type star roughly 209 light-years away, another link in the long current of the river Eridanus. Far from the bright knots of the constellation, it occupies a discreet stretch of the mythological riverbed, near the passage where the river drifts away from Orion and begins its descent toward the southern sky. Its sharp white light marks one of the forgotten bends of the celestial stream.
Where it is and when to see it
Xi Eridani 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 35° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 46° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 60° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 86° N.
It ranks no. 54 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 63° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 210 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Xi Eridani
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.17
- Distance
- 209.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 65.920° · Dec -3.745°
- Catalogue
- HIP 20507 · HD 27861
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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
- 68 Eridani5.11
- 66 Eridani5.12
- HIP 137175.16
- 47 Eridani5.20
- HIP 138745.22