Star profile

Epsilon Columbae

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

What is Epsilon Columbae

Epsilon Columbae shines in a constellation invented in the seventeenth century to honour the dove of the ark. Its orange tone —fitting for a K-type giant— travels 263 light-years before reaching us. In a southern sky thick with Greek names and remote myths, this star belongs to a younger and more domestic symbol —the bird that returns with the olive branch.

Where it is and when to see it

Epsilon 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, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 3° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 14° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 88° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 55° N.

It ranks no. 4 in brightness among the 45 stars of Columba in our catalogue. To find it, start from Phact, the brightest: it lies about 2° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 260 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Epsilon Columbae

Constellation: Columba
Apparent magnitude: 3.86
Distance: 263.3 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 82.803° · Dec -35.471°
Catalogue: HIP 25859 · HD 36597

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.

See all 45 stars in Columba