Star profile

Gacrux

Gamma Crucis · Crux

Red giant

3D likeness based on its real data · class M · ~3,200 K

What is Gacrux

Gacrux is the red giant crowning the Southern Cross, one of the closest large stars to our solar system: a vast, cool sphere swollen near the end of its life. Its ruby hue stands out instantly against the blue-white of its three constellation companions. The light arriving tonight has been crossing space for nearly 89 years, having left Crux on the eve of the Second World War.

Where it is and when to see it

Gacrux 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: 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.

Find it on the sky map

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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

If you don't have an account yet, we'll ask for an email to confirm it's you: we send you a link and that's it, no password.

Write my signature

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 Gacrux

Constellation: Crux
Apparent magnitude: 1.59
Distance: 88.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 187.791° · Dec -57.113°
Catalogue: HIP 61084 · HD 108903

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.

See all 32 stars in Crux