Star profile

Theta Crateris

Hot blue star

3D likeness based on its real data · class B · ~15,000 K

What is Theta Crateris

Theta Crateris is a blue-white type B star glittering some 280 light-years away, in the cup that —so the myth tells— Apollo flung into the sky beside the Raven and the Hydra. It is a fast rotator, like many of its kind: it spins so quickly that its atmosphere bulges at the equator and traces a faint gaseous disc around itself. One of those stars that seem still and yet whirl like tops.

Where it is and when to see it

Theta Crateris 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 29° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 39° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 66° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 80° N.

It ranks no. 5 in brightness among the 17 stars of Crater in our catalogue. To find it, start from Delta Crateris, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 280 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Theta Crateris

Constellation: Crater
Apparent magnitude: 4.70
Distance: 280.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 174.170° · Dec -9.802°
Catalogue: HIP 56633 · HD 100889

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Other stars in Crater

Crater has 17 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 17 stars in Crater