Rho

Its story

Rho Octantis is a white A-type star about 216 light-years away, in the small constellation that embraces the south celestial pole. It inhabits a region of sky without a bright pole star: the south lacks the steady beacon the north enjoys thanks to Polaris. Stars like Rho Octantis, modest and close to the austral celestial pivot, are the ones generations of navigators used to orient themselves in the absence of a clear guide.