Star profile
Alpha Apus
What is Alpha Apus
Alpha Apodis quietly presides over the Bird of Paradise, a constellation traced by the Dutch navigators Keyser and de Houtman on their return from the East Indies. At 447 light-years, this orange K-type giant pours its calm light over one of the least travelled corners of the southern sky. Its modest brilliance carries the slow rhythm of a star already advanced in years, midway through its passage toward the final stages of stellar life.
Where it is and when to see it
Alpha Apus lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is June, 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 45° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 11° N.
It is the brightest of the 21 stars of Apus in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.
The light you see today left it about 450 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 Alpha Apus
- Constellation
- Apus
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.83
- Distance
- 446.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 221.966° · Dec -79.045°
- Catalogue
- HIP 72370 · HD 129078
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Apus
Apus has 21 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Gamma Apus3.86
- Beta Apus4.23
- Delta 1 Apus4.68
- Zeta Apus4.76
- Eta Apus4.89
- Epsilon Apus5.06
- Delta 2 Apus5.27
- HIP 732235.37