Star profile
55 Eridani
Variable starWhat is 55 Eridani
55 Eridani peers from the River —the winding constellation that descends from Orion's foot toward the south. It is a yellow-white F-type variable star more than 2,100 light-years away, a formidable distance: its light set out before the Colosseum of Rome had even been built. It pulses in subtle cycles, adding modern-instrument variability to a story already millennia old.
Where it is and when to see it
55 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 30° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 41° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 65° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 81° N.
It ranks no. 127 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 60° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 2,100 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 55 Eridani
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.98
- Distance
- 2132.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 70.895° · Dec -8.794°
- Catalogue
- HIP 21986 · HD 30020
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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
- HIP 208925.95
- HIP 210425.95
- 21 Eridani5.97
- HIP 183395.99
- HIP 200756.00