hip-41483

Its story

Within the constellation Vela pulses a white type A star whose brightness rises and falls calmly, like a cosmic breath. Hotter and more luminous than the Sun, its light took roughly 199 years to cross the void: it set out when Beethoven premiered his Ninth Symphony and all Europe heard the «Ode to Joy» for the first time. It still throbs above the southern skies, faithful to its silent rhythm.