Xi

Its story

Xi Columbae shines within the small constellation of the Dove, drawn by Petrus Plancius in the sixteenth century from the stars that slipped past the older outlines of Argo Navis. At some 333 light-years, it is an orange K-type giant, an aged sun that has swollen its layers to several times solar size and bathes its surroundings in a warm, ancient light.