Star profile
Gamma 2 Velorum
Variable starWhat is Gamma 2 Velorum
Gamma-2 Velorum is the closest Wolf-Rayet star to the Sun: a monstrous pair made of a blue O-type supergiant and a stripped core that has already exhaled most of its mass into space as a stellar wind. It shines roughly 170,000 times brighter than the Sun and is destined to detonate as a supernova. Its light, after travelling 1,117 years, reaches us as the echo of a cataclysm still to come.
Where it is and when to see it
Gamma 2 Velorum lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is February, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 2° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 77° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 43° N.
It is the brightest of the 127 stars of Vela in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.
The light you see today left it about 1,100 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 Gamma 2 Velorum
- Constellation
- Vela
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.75
- Distance
- 1117.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 122.383° · Dec -47.337°
- Catalogue
- HIP 39953 · HD 68273
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Other stars in Vela
Vela has 127 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AlsephinaDelta Velorum1.93
- SuhailLambda Velorum2.23
- MarkebKappa Velorum2.47
- Mu Velorum2.69
- HIP 467013.16
- Phi Velorum3.52
- Omicron Velorum3.60
- Psi Velorum3.60