Star profile
Eta Crucis
What is Eta Crucis
Eta Crucis sits within the Southern Cross, the most celebrated emblem of austral skies. At just 64 light-years, it is one of the genuinely nearby members of its constellation —a yellow-white F-type star, somewhat hotter than the Sun and roughly twice as massive. Though it does not crown the Cross's four bright points, its proximity makes it one of the most thoroughly studied stars of the asterism.
Where it is and when to see it
Eta 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 May: 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 Eta Crucis
- Constellation
- Crux
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.14
- Distance
- 64.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 181.720° · Dec -64.614°
- Catalogue
- HIP 59072 · HD 105211
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
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
- GinanEpsilon Crucis3.59
- Mu 1 Crucis4.03
- Zeta Crucis4.06
- Theta 1 Crucis4.32
- HIP 623274.62