Star profile

26 Hydrae

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

What is 26 Hydrae

26 Hydrae is a quiet rarity: a G-type star —like the Sun— yet swollen into giant status, lying 337 light-years away inside the long body of the Water Serpent. Its yellow light recalls a terrestrial dawn, only multiplied by a stellar maturity the Sun has not yet reached. It is a forecast of our own star's future, written in the script of a giant.

Where it is and when to see it

26 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 27° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 37° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 68° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 78° N.

It ranks no. 29 in brightness among the 121 stars of Hydra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alphard, the brightest: it lies about 4° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 340 years ago.

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Astronomical data for 26 Hydrae

Constellation: Hydra
Apparent magnitude: 4.77
Distance: 337.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 139.943° · Dec -11.975°
Catalogue: HIP 45751 · HD 80499

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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