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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.

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The signature wall

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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