Star profile
HIP 79881
What is HIP 79881
A white A-type beacon rests in Scorpius, about 135 light-years away. Its light set out around 1891, the year Tesla patented the coil that bears his name —and arrives today as a clean white, free of warm tones. It is hotter and denser than the Sun, a sheet of cold light stretched between the Scorpion's claws.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 79881 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 10° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 21° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 85° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 61° N.
It ranks no. 33 in brightness among the 104 stars of Scorpius in our catalogue. To find it, start from Antares, the brightest: it lies about 3° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 130 years ago.
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Leave your signature on HIP 79881
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 79881
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.80
- Distance
- 134.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 244.575° · Dec -28.614°
- Catalogue
- HIP 79881 · HD 146624
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Scorpius
Scorpius has 104 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AntaresAlpha Scorpii1.06
- ShaulaLambda Scorpii1.62
- SargasTheta Scorpii1.86
- Iota 2 Scorpii4.78
- 22 Scorpii4.79
- HIP 872204.79
- HIP 835744.83
- GraffiasXi Scorpii4.84