Star profile
Mu Columbae
Hot blue starWhat is Mu Columbae
μ Columbae is a runaway star: a hot young B-type sun ejected some two or three million years ago from the region of the Orion Nebula, likely by the violent breakup of a multiple system. Today she crosses the sky at over a hundred kilometres per second relative to the interstellar medium, leaving her birthplace far behind, some 1,330 light-years from Earth.
Where it is and when to see it
Mu 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 6° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 17° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 88° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 58° N.
It ranks no. 12 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 1,300 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Mu Columbae
- Constellation
- Columba
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.18
- Distance
- 1331.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 86.500° · Dec -32.306°
- Catalogue
- HIP 27204 · HD 38666
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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
- Lambda Columbae4.88
- Xi Columbae4.97
- ElkurudTheta Columbae5.00
- HIP 311655.25
- Nu 2 Columbae5.28