hip-81300

Variable star

Its story

12 Ophiuchi is a close neighbour, just 32 light-years away. It is a K1 orange dwarf with 91 % of the Sun's mass, slightly cooler —its surface hovers near 5,150 kelvin— and, above all, a BY Draconis variable: its brightness shifts as dark spots wheel along with it, revealing and hiding its rotation. A smaller, somewhat more active sister to the Sun.

Constellation: Ophiuchus
Apparent magnitude: 5.77
Distance: 31.8 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 249.089° · Dec -2.325°
Catalogue: HIP 81300 · HD 149661

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Symbolic commemorative gift — no ownership, no IAU recognition.