Star profile
HIP 2240
Cool red starWhat is HIP 2240
In the southern constellation of Phoenix burns a red giant 375 light-years away, whose light set out when Galileo was facing the second Inquisitorial proceedings over the heliocentric system. Its cool atmosphere radiates a deep red, sign of a star that has exhausted part of its hydrogen and is swelling in maturity. It glows quietly in a mythic bird reborn from its ashes — a fitting metaphor for a star living through its final ages.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 2240 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 9° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 84° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 50° N.
It ranks no. 23 in brightness among the 39 stars of Phoenix in our catalogue. To find it, start from Ankaa, the brightest: it lies about 2° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 380 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on HIP 2240
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works
We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.
A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for HIP 2240
- Constellation
- Phoenix
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.42
- Distance
- 375.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 7.110° · Dec -39.915°
- Catalogue
- HIP 2240 · HD 2490
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Phoenix
Phoenix has 39 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AnkaaAlpha Phoenicis2.40
- Beta Phoenicis3.32
- Gamma Phoenicis3.41
- Upsilon Phoenicis5.21
- Rho Phoenicis5.24
- HIP 48905.39
- HIP 65925.42
- HIP 82405.49