Star profile
Delta Sextantis
Hot blue starWhat is Delta Sextantis
Delta Sextantis is a blue B-type star some 322 light-years away, set into a constellation invented by Hevelius in the seventeenth century to honour the sextant with which he measured celestial positions. The figure is modest, almost a technical tribute to the instrument. There, far from the classical icons, this star gives just enough brightness to keep the astronomer's tool inscribed in the sky.
Where it is and when to see it
Delta 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 March, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 36° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 47° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 59° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 87° N.
It ranks no. 4 in brightness among the 17 stars of Sextans in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Sextantis, the brightest: it lies about 6° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 320 years ago.
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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 Delta Sextantis
- Constellation
- Sextans
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.19
- Distance
- 322.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 157.370° · Dec -2.739°
- Catalogue
- HIP 51362 · HD 90882
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Sextans
Sextans has 17 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Sextantis4.48
- Gamma Sextantis5.07
- Beta Sextantis5.08
- Epsilon Sextantis5.25
- HIP 510465.60
- 18 Sextantis5.64
- HIP 479605.65
- 19 Sextantis5.77