Star profile

Theta Lupi

Hot blue star

3D likeness based on its real data · class B · ~15,000 K

What is Theta Lupi

Theta Lupi is a blue main-sequence star spinning at a dizzying 331 km/s at its equator. That rotation deforms it: its equatorial diameter is roughly 15% larger than its polar one, a sphere flattened by its own momentum. At 415 light-years inside the Wolf, it is one of those hot, young beacons still in the bloom of its evolution.

Where it is and when to see it

Theta Lupi 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 2° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 12° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 87° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 53° N.

It ranks no. 15 in brightness among the 74 stars of Lupus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Lupi, the brightest: it lies about 19° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 410 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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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 Theta Lupi

Constellation: Lupus
Apparent magnitude: 4.22
Distance: 414.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 241.648° · Dec -36.802°
Catalogue: HIP 78918 · HD 144294

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Lupus

Lupus has 74 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 74 stars in Lupus