Star profile
Beta Apus
What is Beta Apus
In the small southern constellation of the Bird of Paradise — also charted by Dutch navigators at the dawn of the 17th century — this orange giant shines with warm light from 157 light-years away. It belongs to that generation of stars which, having exhausted their nuclear youth, swells and reddens without fanfare. The constellation honours the Indonesian bird that sailors called «footless», because the prepared skins reached them without legs, and to which they dedicated a discreet corner of the southern deep sky.
Where it is and when to see it
Beta Apus 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 46° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 12° N.
It ranks no. 3 in brightness among the 21 stars of Apus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Apus, the brightest: it lies about 6° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 160 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 Beta Apus
- Constellation
- Apus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.23
- Distance
- 157.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 250.772° · Dec -77.517°
- Catalogue
- HIP 81852 · HD 149324
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Other stars in Apus
Apus has 21 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Apus3.83
- Gamma Apus3.86
- Delta 1 Apus4.68
- Zeta Apus4.76
- Eta Apus4.89
- Epsilon Apus5.06
- Delta 2 Apus5.27
- HIP 732235.37