Star profile

Cursa

Beta Eridani · Eridanus

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Cursa

Cursa means «the chair» in Arabic, alluding to its position at Orion's feet, right beneath Rigel, like a celestial footstool. It is a white star, slightly warmer than the Sun, lying 89 light-years away. Its calm and discreet light takes nearly a full century to cross the void towards us, a journey barely perceptible in the stillness of a February sky.

Where it is and when to see it

Cursa lies in the southern 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 culminates about 33° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 44° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 61° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 85° N.

It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 66° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 89 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Cursa

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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 Cursa

Constellation: Eridanus
Apparent magnitude: 2.78
Distance: 89.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 76.962° · Dec -5.086°
Catalogue: HIP 23875 · HD 33111

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Eridanus

Eridanus has 129 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 129 stars in Eridanus