Star profile

Chalawan

47 Ursae Majoris · Ursa Major

Nearby star

3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is Chalawan

Chalawan is a yellow star just 46 light-years from the Earth, in the constellation Ursa Major, almost on the cosmic doorstep of the Solar System itself. Its name, officially assigned in 2015 by the International Astronomical Union, comes from Thai folklore: Chalawan was a giant crocodile of the old legends of the Chao Phraya river that runs through the city of Bangkok today. Planets have been confirmed around it, including a gas giant discovered in the mid-1990s, one of the very first worlds ever detected beyond the boundaries of the Solar System.

Where it is and when to see it

Chalawan lies in the northern 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 never sets and culminates about 79° up.
From New York it culminates about 90° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 16° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 50° S.

It ranks no. 42 in brightness among the 124 stars of Ursa Major in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alioth, the brightest: it lies about 24° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 46 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Chalawan

Constellation: Ursa Major
Apparent magnitude: 5.03
Distance: 45.9 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 164.867° · Dec 40.430°
Catalogue: HIP 53721 · HD 95128

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Other stars in Ursa Major

Ursa Major has 124 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 124 stars in Ursa Major