Star profile
Sigma Columbae
Highly luminous starWhat is Sigma Columbae
σ Columbae shines at 1664 light-years from the small southern Dove, a constellation invented in the sixteenth century to depict the biblical bird of the flood. To reach us at the brightness it shows, this F-class star must outshine the Sun hundreds of times over — one of those rare beacons capable of piercing wide galactic distances. Its light departed just as the Western Roman Empire had collapsed.
Where it is and when to see it
Sigma 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 7° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 18° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 87° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 59° N.
It ranks no. 20 in brightness among the 45 stars of Columba in our catalogue. To find it, start from Phact, the brightest: it lies about 4° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 1,700 years ago.
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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 Sigma Columbae
- Constellation
- Columba
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.52
- Distance
- 1664.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 89.087° · Dec -31.382°
- Catalogue
- HIP 28098 · HD 40248
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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
- HIP 266495.44
- HIP 259935.45
- Pi 2 Columbae5.50
- HIP 285245.54
- HIP 292635.54