Star profile
HIP 76243
Hot blue starWhat is HIP 76243
In Libra, the only zodiacal constellation that depicts an object rather than a living being, shines a bluish B-type star. Far hotter and more massive than the Sun, its light crossed nearly 400 years to reach us: it set out while Newton was formulating the laws that still govern celestial mechanics. Its cold, electric brilliance balances the pans of this cosmic scale with a promise of fire.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 76243 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 culminates about 29° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 40° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 65° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 81° N.
It ranks no. 20 in brightness among the 49 stars of Libra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Zubeneschamali, the brightest: it lies about 4° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 400 years ago.
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Leave your signature on HIP 76243
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
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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 HIP 76243
- Constellation
- Libra
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.16
- Distance
- 399.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 233.610° · Dec -9.183°
- Catalogue
- HIP 76243 · HD 138764
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Libra
Libra has 49 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- ZubeneschamaliBeta Librae2.61
- ZubenelgenubiAlpha 2 Librae2.75
- BrachiumSigma Librae3.25
- Lambda Librae5.04
- 36 Librae5.13
- Alpha 1 Librae5.15
- Nu Librae5.19
- 12 Librae5.27