Star profile

HIP 23265

Northern polar star

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is HIP 23265

Near the celestial north pole, in the circumpolar realm of Cepheus, watches this orange K-type star. Its light set out around 384 years ago, when Descartes published the «Discourse on the Method» and opened the doors of modern reason. Cooler than the Sun yet swollen with age, it bathes the cosmos in a warm, almost ember-like tone. From its northern balcony it accompanies generations of nocturnal travelers who orient their steps by the unmoving north of the sky.

Where it is and when to see it

HIP 23265 lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is December, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it never sets and culminates about 60° up.
From New York it never sets and culminates about 50° up.
From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 9° S.

It ranks no. 29 in brightness among the 95 stars of Cepheus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alderamin, the brightest: it lies about 32° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 380 years ago.

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Astronomical data for HIP 23265

Constellation: Cepheus
Apparent magnitude: 5.09
Distance: 384.2 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 75.086° · Dec 81.194°
Catalogue: HIP 23265 · HD 30338

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Other stars in Cepheus

Cepheus has 95 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 95 stars in Cepheus