Star profile
54 Eridani
Variable starWhat is 54 Eridani
54 Eridani is an M-type red giant whose light beats with quiet variations, the surface signature of pulsations deep within its swollen atmosphere. It glows from roughly 369 light-years away, adrift in the meandering current that traces the river Eridanus south of Orion. The light reaching us tonight broke free when late-medieval embers were still warm —a coppery pulse that has travelled in silence for centuries.
Where it is and when to see it
54 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 19° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 30° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 76° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 70° N.
It ranks no. 27 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 50° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 370 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 54 Eridani
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.32
- Distance
- 368.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 70.110° · Dec -19.671°
- Catalogue
- HIP 21763 · HD 29755
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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
- 82 G. Eri4.26
- Tau 5 Eridani4.26
- HIP 177974.30
- Omega Eridani4.36
- Pi Eridani4.43