Star profile

12 Hydrae

3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is 12 Hydrae

12 Hydrae is a yellow, Sun-type star tucked into the long serpentine body of Hydra, the largest constellation in the sky. At 245 light-years away, its glow is modest but clean —the silhouette of a sun brighter and older than ours, suspended above a region thin in conspicuous stars. The light grazing Earth's atmosphere tonight peeled away from its surface as the European baroque was only beginning to fade.

Where it is and when to see it

12 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 25° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 36° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 70° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 76° N.

It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 121 stars of Hydra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alphard, the brightest: it lies about 11° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 250 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on 12 Hydrae

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.

Write my signature

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 12 Hydrae

Constellation: Hydra
Apparent magnitude: 4.32
Distance: 245.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 131.594° · Dec -13.548°
Catalogue: HIP 43067 · HD 74918

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