Star profile
Mu 2 Crucis
Variable starWhat is Mu 2 Crucis
Mu-2 Crucis is the fainter companion of the Mu Crucis pair, one of the loveliest doubles in the Southern Cross. A blue B5 variable, its light oscillates slightly as it pulses through slow evolution. It lies 407 light-years away, almost in step with its twin Mu-1, forming a system separated by just 35 arc-seconds that any reasonable pair of binoculars resolves under southern hemisphere skies.
Where it is and when to see it
Mu 2 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 67° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 33° N.
It ranks no. 15 in brightness among the 32 stars of Crux in our catalogue. To find it, start from Acrux, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 410 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Mu 2 Crucis
- Constellation
- Crux
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.08
- Distance
- 407.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 193.654° · Dec -57.169°
- Catalogue
- HIP 63005 · HD 112091
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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
- Iota Crucis4.69
- Theta 2 Crucis4.72
- HIP 619664.91
- HIP 620275.27
- HIP 631175.34