Star profile
HIP 7978
What is HIP 7978
In the winding river Eridanus flows a yellow-white star a mere 57 light-years away, a cosmic neighbour of Earth. Its light set out around 1969, the year humankind first set foot on the Moon. F-type stars are sisters slightly hotter than the Sun: they burn their hydrogen quickly, yet their atmosphere is mild enough to imagine planets bathed in golden light.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 7978 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September, 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 culminates about 70° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 36° N.
It ranks no. 77 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 4° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 57 years ago.
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Leave your signature on HIP 7978
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 7978
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.52
- Distance
- 56.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 25.622° · Dec -53.741°
- Catalogue
- HIP 7978 · HD 10647
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Eridanus
Eridanus has 129 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AchernarAlpha Eridani0.45
- CursaBeta Eridani2.78
- AcamarTheta 1 Eridani2.88
- 58 Eridani5.49
- HIP 156435.50
- 62 Eridani5.50
- 22 Eridani5.53
- HIP 220285.53