Star profile
HIP 43878
Hot blue starWhat is HIP 43878
Within the lateen sails of Vela cruises a young blue star whose light crossed 353 light-years to reach us. Its glow set out when Newton was publishing his «Principia» and forever reshaping our idea of the cosmos. Hotter and more massive than the Sun, its bluish surface betrays a temperature exceeding 15,000 degrees, and a stellar wind that sculpts it from within.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 43878 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is March, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 71° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 37° N.
It ranks no. 26 in brightness among the 127 stars of Vela in our catalogue. To find it, start from Gamma 2 Velorum, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 350 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on HIP 43878
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.
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 43878
- Constellation
- Vela
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.68
- Distance
- 353.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 134.080° · Dec -52.723°
- Catalogue
- HIP 43878 · HD 76805
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 505554.59
- HIP 454484.63
- HYG 1186324.65
- HIP 426244.74
- HIP 410394.79