Star profile
Theta 1 Crucis
What is Theta 1 Crucis
Theta-1 Crucis belongs to the Southern Cross, the smallest yet one of the most instantly recognisable constellations of the southern firmament. It is a white type-A star, some 235 light-years distant. Invisible from most of Europe, the Cross was the chief beacon of the early Portuguese navigators sailing down towards the Cape of Good Hope, and it appears on the flags of several southern nations.
Where it is and when to see it
Theta 1 Crucis 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, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 61° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 27° N.
It ranks no. 9 in brightness among the 32 stars of Crux in our catalogue. To find it, start from Acrux, the brightest: it lies about 3° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 240 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Theta 1 Crucis
- Constellation
- Crux
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.32
- Distance
- 235.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 180.757° · Dec -63.313°
- Catalogue
- HIP 58758 · HD 104671
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Other stars in Crux
Crux has 32 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AcruxAlpha 1 Crucis0.77
- MimosaBeta Crucis1.25
- GacruxGamma Crucis1.59
- Mu 1 Crucis4.03
- Zeta Crucis4.06
- Eta Crucis4.14
- HIP 623274.62
- Lambda Crucis4.62