Star profile

Minchir

Sigma Hydrae · Hydra

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

What is Minchir

Minchir is an orange giant in the immense Hydra, the largest constellation in the sky, slithering across more than a hundred degrees of horizon. It lies 372 light-years away and its name comes from the Arabic «minkhir al-shujāʿ», the snake's snout. When you follow it with your gaze, you trace the long neck of the mythological monster that Heracles defeated in his second labour.

Where it is and when to see it

Minchir lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 42° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 53° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 53° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 87° S.

It ranks no. 20 in brightness among the 121 stars of Hydra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alphard, the brightest: it lies about 17° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 370 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Minchir

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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 Minchir

Constellation: Hydra
Apparent magnitude: 4.45
Distance: 372.8 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 129.689° · Dec 3.341°
Catalogue: HIP 42402 · HD 73471

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

Other stars in Hydra

Hydra has 121 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 121 stars in Hydra