Star profile
Mimosa
Beta Crucis · Crux
Variable starWhat is Mimosa
Mimosa, the second jewel of the Southern Cross, is a blue giant whose brightness pulses ever so faintly across decades. Its light departs almost 279 years before reaching us, drifting from a southern quarter of the sky invisible to Europe and falling on the latitudes where the Cross once guided Polynesian and Portuguese navigators alike. Its modern name, borrowed from the tropical flower, was given in the twentieth century, a soft echo against its deep indigo glow.
Where it is and when to see it
Mimosa lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the brightest stars in the sky: visible even from a city. 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 64° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 30° N.
It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 32 stars of Crux in our catalogue. To find it, start from Acrux, the brightest: it lies about 4° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 280 years ago.
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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 Mimosa
- Constellation
- Crux
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.25
- Distance
- 278.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 191.930° · Dec -59.689°
- Catalogue
- HIP 62434 · HD 111123
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
- GacruxGamma Crucis1.59
- ImaiDelta Crucis2.79
- GinanEpsilon Crucis3.59
- Mu 1 Crucis4.03
- Zeta Crucis4.06
- Eta Crucis4.14
- Theta 1 Crucis4.32