Star profile
Beta Circinus
What is Beta Circinus
β Circini is the second star of the Compass, a small constellation drawn by Lacaille in the 18th century to honour the instruments of geometry. White and of A-type, only 100 light-years away, she is a quiet neighbour of the southern sky, tucked near the feet of the Centaur and close to luminous Alpha Centauri.
Where it is and when to see it
Beta Circinus 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 65° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 31° N.
It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 21 stars of Circinus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Circinus, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 100 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 Beta Circinus
- Constellation
- Circinus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.07
- Distance
- 99.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 229.379° · Dec -58.801°
- Catalogue
- HIP 74824 · HD 135379
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Other stars in Circinus
Circinus has 21 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Circinus3.18
- Gamma Circinus4.48
- Epsilon Circinus4.85
- Delta Circinus5.04
- Theta Circinus5.08
- Eta Circinus5.16
- HIP 730365.18
- HIP 721315.36