Star profile
Alpha Sextantis
What is Alpha Sextantis
Alpha Sextantis has a quiet geographic distinction: it lies less than a quarter of a degree from the celestial equator, almost exactly on the line that divides the two hemispheres. In 1900 it sat to the north; in December 1923 it crossed to the south. It is the brightest star of Sextans, an astronomical instrument turned constellation in the seventeenth century by Johannes Hevelius. A white A0 giant, 283 light-years away, burning at 8,600 kelvin.
Where it is and when to see it
Alpha Sextantis 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 38° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 49° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 56° above the horizon.
It sits almost on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from nearly the whole planet.
It is the brightest of the 17 stars of Sextans in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.
The light you see today left it about 280 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Alpha Sextantis
- Constellation
- Sextans
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.48
- Distance
- 283.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 151.985° · Dec -0.372°
- Catalogue
- HIP 49641 · HD 87887
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Other stars in Sextans
Sextans has 17 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Gamma Sextantis5.07
- Beta Sextantis5.08
- Delta Sextantis5.19
- Epsilon Sextantis5.25
- HIP 510465.60
- 18 Sextantis5.64
- HIP 479605.65
- 19 Sextantis5.77