Star profile
Intercrus
What is Intercrus
Intercrus shines orange at 280 light-years from the Earth, in the constellation Ursa Major, far from the spotlight given to the better-known stars of the celestial Wagon. Its name, Latin and modern in coinage, literally means «between the legs» and describes with dry pragmatism its exact position within the figure of the celestial bear itself. A discreet star, chosen to bear a proper name precisely because no ancient tradition had ever come round to baptising it: modern astronomy can also reclaim for language what the sky had left anonymous for millennia.
Where it is and when to see it
Intercrus lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 84° up.
- From New York it culminates about 85° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 10° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 44° S.
It ranks no. 61 in brightness among the 124 stars of Ursa Major in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alioth, the brightest: it lies about 33° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 280 years ago.
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Leave your signature on Intercrus
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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 Intercrus
- Constellation
- Ursa Major
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.40
- Distance
- 280.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 142.167° · Dec 45.601°
- Catalogue
- HIP 46471 · HD 81688
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Ursa Major
Ursa Major has 124 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AliothEpsilon Ursae Majoris1.76
- DubheAlpha Ursae Majoris1.81
- AlkaidEta Ursae Majoris1.85
- 61 Ursae Majoris5.31
- HIP 402155.34
- 74 Ursae Majoris5.37
- HIP 657285.40
- HIP 562905.46