Star profile
72 Herculis
Nearby starWhat is 72 Herculis
72 Herculis is a solar neighbour just 47 light-years away, a G-type star very much like our own Sun yet somewhat older and poorer in heavy metals. Its proximity makes it a regular subject of comparative stellar studies, offering a reference point for understanding the Sun's future. It glows quietly in Hercules, well away from the bright Keystone asterism that anchors the constellation.
Where it is and when to see it
72 Herculis lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is June: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 72 Herculis
- Constellation
- Hercules
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.38
- Distance
- 46.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 260.165° · Dec 32.468°
- Catalogue
- HIP 84862 · HD 157214
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Hercules
Hercules has 136 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- KornephorosBeta Herculis2.78
- RasalgethiAlpha 1 Herculis2.78
- Zeta Herculis2.81
- 54 Herculis5.35
- 82 Herculis5.35
- HIP 848215.36
- HIP 827645.39
- HYG 1191065.40