Star profile

HIP 31448

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

What is HIP 31448

In Monoceros, the discreet constellation drawn by Bartsch in the 17th century, pulses an orange K-class giant whose light has been travelling for over fifteen centuries: it set out as the Western Roman Empire was finishing its collapse and the early Middle Ages were beginning. Cooler than the Sun and swollen to dozens of times its size, it radiates a coppery gleam. It is a patient beacon over the winter band of the sky, indifferent to the ages and empires of humankind.

Where it is and when to see it

HIP 31448 lies in the northern 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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The signature wall

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A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works

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Write my signature

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 HIP 31448

Constellation: Monoceros
Apparent magnitude: 5.93
Distance: 1531.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 98.823° · Dec 9.988°
Catalogue: HIP 31448 · HD 46709

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Monoceros

Monoceros has 71 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 71 stars in Monoceros