Star profile
HIP 40990
What is HIP 40990
In Puppis, the stern of the ancient Argo, shines an orange K-type giant whose light has been traveling for more than three centuries. It set out when Halley was calculating the orbit of the comet that would bear his name and the oceans were filling with sailors mapping coastlines until then drawn from hearsay. It is cooler than the Sun yet much larger, a serene bonfire in the constellation that recalls the mythical ship that crossed impossible seas in search of the golden fleece.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 40990 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: 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
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
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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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 40990
- Constellation
- Puppis
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.71
- Distance
- 310.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 125.478° · Dec -17.586°
- Catalogue
- HIP 40990 · HD 70523
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Puppis
Puppis has 145 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- NaosZeta Puppis2.21
- Pi Puppis2.71
- TureisRho Puppis2.83
- HIP 370365.69
- HIP 370435.69
- 10 Puppis5.69
- HIP 350295.72
- HIP 373225.73