Star profile
HIP 59384
Northern polar starWhat is HIP 59384
In the high latitudes of the Giraffe, very close to the celestial north pole, burns an orange K-class giant whose tepid light has travelled about eleven hundred years before reaching us. When it left that surface, Irish monks were copying manuscripts by candlelight and the Vikings were preparing their first raids along the European coasts. Its almost polar position turns it into a discreet, permanent beacon of the northern hemisphere, fixed around the sky's axis.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 59384 lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 60° up.
- From New York it never sets and culminates about 49° up.
- From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 8° S.
It ranks no. 75 in brightness among the 75 stars of Camelopardalis in our catalogue. To find it, start from Beta Camelopardalis, the brightest: it lies about 33° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 1,100 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on HIP 59384
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works
We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.
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 59384
- Constellation
- Camelopardalis
- Apparent magnitude
- 6.00
- Distance
- 1098.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 182.750° · Dec 81.710°
- Catalogue
- HIP 59384 · HD 105943
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Camelopardalis
Camelopardalis has 75 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Beta Camelopardalis4.03
- HIP 162284.21
- Alpha Camelopardalis4.26
- 51 Camelopardalis5.93
- HIP 212475.94
- HIP 223615.96
- HIP 165995.98
- HIP 237666.00