Star profile
HIP 52340
Variable starWhat is HIP 52340
Far away, in Chamaeleon, the small southern constellation named by navigators who first crossed the southern seas, beats a blue B-type star whose brightness wavers slightly, like a flame pushed by the wind. Its light takes nearly 927 years to reach us: what we see today departed around 1099, just as the crusaders were conquering Jerusalem after a two-year siege and a new chapter opened between East and West.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 52340 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is May, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 44° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 10° N.
It ranks no. 19 in brightness among the 19 stars of Chamaeleon in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Chamaeleon, the brightest: it lies about 8° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 930 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 HIP 52340
- Constellation
- Chamaeleon
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.97
- Distance
- 926.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 160.465° · Dec -79.783°
- Catalogue
- HIP 52340 · HD 93237
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Chamaeleon
Chamaeleon has 19 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Chamaeleon4.05
- Gamma Chamaeleon4.11
- Beta Chamaeleon4.24
- Pi Chamaeleon5.64
- HIP 411915.67
- HIP 430125.79
- HIP 645875.84
- HIP 680095.95