Star profile
Eta Volans
What is Eta Volans
η Volantis is a white star in the Flying Fish, another of the marine creatures added to the southern sky by Dutch navigators in the 16th century. Volans is a small, little-known constellation that seems to flee the celestial predator Dorado, the neighbouring goldfish. This A-type star shines clean in that forgotten corner of the firmament.
Where it is and when to see it
Eta Volans lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is May, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 51° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 17° N.
It ranks no. 10 in brightness among the 19 stars of Volans in our catalogue. To find it, start from Beta Volans, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 380 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 Eta Volans
- Constellation
- Volans
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.28
- Distance
- 381.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 125.519° · Dec -73.400°
- Catalogue
- HIP 41003 · HD 71576
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Other stars in Volans
Volans has 19 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Beta Volans3.77
- Gamma 2 Volans3.78
- Zeta Volans3.93
- HIP 406805.06
- HIP 336825.18
- Theta Volans5.19
- Kappa 1 Volans5.33
- HIP 434145.34