Star profile
Epsilon Musca
Variable starWhat is Epsilon Musca
Epsilon Muscae is a red M-type variable giant about 301 light-years away, perched in the small constellation of the Fly beside the Southern Cross. Its brightness drifts slowly because the entire star is pulsating, swelling and contracting like an immensely slow bell. Each beat alters its size, its temperature and its colour —a stellar respiration invisible to the naked eye but steady in telescopic records.
Where it is and when to see it
Epsilon Musca 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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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 Epsilon Musca
- Constellation
- Musca
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.06
- Distance
- 301.5 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 184.394° · Dec -67.961°
- Catalogue
- HIP 59929 · HD 106849
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Musca
Musca has 31 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Musca2.69
- Beta Musca3.04
- Delta Musca3.61
- Lambda Musca3.63
- Gamma Musca3.84
- Mu Musca4.75
- Eta Musca4.79
- HIP 648204.86