Star profile
Zeta Crucis
Hot blue starWhat is Zeta Crucis
Zeta Crucis burns within the small yet iconic Southern Cross, astral emblem of half a hemisphere. It is a hot blue B-type star, with a surface temperature several times that of the Sun and a far greater radiance. Its light has been crossing space for nearly 358 years —an adolescent glow, in cosmic terms, caught between the great vertices of a constellation that steered generations of navigators.
Where it is and when to see it
Zeta 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, 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 60° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 26° N.
It ranks no. 7 in brightness among the 32 stars of Crux in our catalogue. To find it, start from Acrux, the brightest: it lies about 1° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 360 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Zeta Crucis
- Constellation
- Crux
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.06
- Distance
- 357.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 184.609° · Dec -64.003°
- Catalogue
- HIP 60009 · HD 106983
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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
- ImaiDelta Crucis2.79
- GinanEpsilon Crucis3.59
- Mu 1 Crucis4.03
- Eta Crucis4.14
- Theta 1 Crucis4.32