
Star profile
Omicron Columbae
What is Omicron Columbae
Omicron Columbae accompanies the modest flight of the Dove, the constellation that Petrus Plancius drew at the end of the sixteenth century over the patch of sky where tradition placed the bird of the Flood. An orange type K giant some 106 light-years away, it is among the relatively close neighbours of the solar system within its figure. Its tepid light evokes the fate of every Sun-like star which, long after youth, begins to swell and tint itself orange.
Where it is and when to see it
Omicron Columbae 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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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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 Omicron Columbae
- Constellation
- Columba
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.81
- Distance
- 105.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 79.371° · Dec -34.895°
- Catalogue
- HIP 24659 · HD 34642
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Columba
Columba has 45 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- PhactAlpha Columbae2.65
- WaznBeta Columbae3.12
- Delta Columbae3.85
- Eta Columbae3.96
- Gamma Columbae4.36
- Kappa Columbae4.37
- Lambda Columbae4.88
- Xi Columbae4.97