Star profile

9 Hydrae

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

What is 9 Hydrae

9 Hydrae is an orange K-type giant inhabiting the head of Hydra, the largest constellation in the sky, a mythological serpent that stretches across a quarter of the heavens. Its warm tone, born of a surface cooler than the Sun's, contrasts with the white stars nearby. Its light takes more than two centuries to cross the void to us.

Where it is and when to see it

9 Hydrae 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 culminates about 23° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 33° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 72° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 74° N.

It ranks no. 32 in brightness among the 121 stars of Hydra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alphard, the brightest: it lies about 13° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 210 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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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 9 Hydrae

Constellation: Hydra
Apparent magnitude: 4.87
Distance: 211.8 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 130.431° · Dec -15.943°
Catalogue: HIP 42662 · HD 74137

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Other stars in Hydra

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

See all 121 stars in Hydra