Star profile
Beta Sextantis
Variable starWhat is Beta Sextantis
Beta Sextantis is the only notable blue-white star of its small constellation, the Sextant. It is an Alpha-2 Canum Venaticorum variable: its brightness drifts between magnitudes 5.00 and 5.10, possibly with a period near fifteen days, governed by magnetic spots that rotate with the star. About 405 light-years away, it offers a delicate pulse in a region of sky almost empty of landmarks.
Where it is and when to see it
Beta 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 57° above the horizon.
It sits almost on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from nearly the whole planet.
It ranks no. 3 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 400 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on Beta Sextantis
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 Beta Sextantis
- Constellation
- Sextans
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.08
- Distance
- 404.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 157.573° · Dec -0.637°
- Catalogue
- HIP 51437 · HD 90994
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
- Delta Sextantis5.19
- Epsilon Sextantis5.25
- HIP 510465.60
- 18 Sextantis5.64
- HIP 479605.65
- 19 Sextantis5.77