Star profile
HIP 78868
What is HIP 78868
In Apus, the bird-of-paradise of the southern skies, glows an orange K-type star, cooler and more golden than the Sun. Its 291 light-years set out in full Enlightenment, when Lapérouse was sailing from Brest toward the Pacific on a scientific expedition that would ultimately be swallowed by the ocean. Its light is testimony to those explorations, finally reaching safe harbor centuries later.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 78868 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 51° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 18° N.
It ranks no. 16 in brightness among the 21 stars of Apus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Apus, the brightest: it lies about 8° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 290 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 HIP 78868
- Constellation
- Apus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.70
- Distance
- 291.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 241.483° · Dec -72.401°
- Catalogue
- HIP 78868 · HD 143346
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.
- Alpha Apus3.83
- Gamma Apus3.86
- Beta Apus4.23
- HIP 728335.59
- Kappa 2 Apus5.64
- Theta Apus5.69
- HIP 857605.83
- HIP 891155.86