Star profile

Xi Hydrae

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

What is Xi Hydrae

Xi Hydrae lies along the endless tail of the Hydra, the largest constellation in the sky. It is a yellow G-type giant some 130 light-years away, a swollen, cooler vision of what our own Sun may become. It shines with a calm golden tone in a region nearly empty of notable stars, making it one of the quiet markers along which the ancient water serpent slides toward the south.

Where it is and when to see it

Xi Hydrae 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 7° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 17° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 88° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 58° N.

It ranks no. 7 in brightness among the 121 stars of Hydra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alphard, the brightest: it lies about 37° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 130 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Xi Hydrae

Constellation: Hydra
Apparent magnitude: 3.54
Distance: 129.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 173.251° · Dec -31.858°
Catalogue: HIP 56343 · HD 100407

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Other stars in Hydra

Hydra has 121 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 121 stars in Hydra