Star profile
HIP 56497
What is HIP 56497
In Centaurus, this orange K-type star radiates the warm, velvety tone of its class —cooler than the Sun but clearly larger. Its light set out 192 years ago, just as Faraday was discovering electromagnetic induction in 1831, the breakthrough that would open the electrical age. Its steady golden glow fits into the southern tapestry with the firmness of a tranquil flame, a counterweight to the bluish splendor of neighboring giants.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 56497 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is April: 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
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 56497
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.50
- Distance
- 191.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 173.737° · Dec -49.136°
- Catalogue
- HIP 56497 · HD 100708
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Centaurus
Centaurus has 174 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Rigil KentaurusAlpha 1 Centauri-0.01
- HadarBeta Centauri0.61
- TolimanAlpha 2 Centauri1.35
- HIP 630665.46
- HIP 673045.46
- HIP 651125.47
- HIP 592325.51
- HIP 678195.53