Star profile
HIP 42884
What is HIP 42884
Within the unfurled sails of the southern constellation Vela burns a G-type giant, a chromatic cousin of the Sun yet far more sprawling. Its golden light set out around 229 years ago, while a convulsed Europe was unveiling the French revolutionary calendar and Parisian clockmakers argued over decades and decimal hours. It takes nearly two and a half centuries to reach us — proof that every glance skyward is also an act of patience.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 42884 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 never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 7° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 81° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 47° N.
It ranks no. 15 in brightness among the 127 stars of Vela in our catalogue. To find it, start from Gamma 2 Velorum, the brightest: it lies about 8° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 230 years ago.
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Leave your signature on HIP 42884
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
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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 42884
- Constellation
- Vela
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.05
- Distance
- 228.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 131.100° · Dec -42.649°
- Catalogue
- HIP 42884 · HD 74772
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Vela
Vela has 127 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Gamma 2 Velorum1.75
- AlsephinaDelta Velorum1.93
- SuhailLambda Velorum2.23
- HIP 519863.84
- HIP 501913.85
- HIP 430233.87
- HIP 423124.11
- HIP 521544.29