Star profile

HIP 69269

Variable star

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

What is HIP 69269

At the heart of Virgo pulses a red M-type giant, far cooler than the Sun and with restless light — its brightness shifts to a slow, private rhythm. When this light set out, some 461 years ago, Gutenberg's press had been transforming the world for barely a century and Copernicus was publishing his heliocentric revolution. That crimson pulse crosses Virgo like an ancient ember that breathes.

Where it is and when to see it

HIP 69269 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, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 22° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 33° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 72° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 74° N.

It ranks no. 30 in brightness among the 99 stars of Virgo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Spica, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 460 years ago.

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Astronomical data for HIP 69269

Constellation: Virgo
Apparent magnitude: 4.93
Distance: 460.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 212.710° · Dec -16.302°
Catalogue: HIP 69269 · HD 123934

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Other stars in Virgo

Virgo has 99 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 99 stars in Virgo