Star profile
Zeta Apus
What is Zeta Apus
Zeta Apodis is an orange giant some three hundred light-years away, lodged in one of the most remote southern constellations. Apus was named in the sixteenth century after the bird of paradise of New Guinea, whose skins reached Europe legless and inspired the myth of a creature that lived in perpetual flight. Zeta burns there, almost grazing the southern pole.
Where it is and when to see it
Zeta 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 56° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 22° N.
It ranks no. 5 in brightness among the 21 stars of Apus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Apus, the brightest: it lies about 15° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 300 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 Zeta Apus
- Constellation
- Apus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.76
- Distance
- 297.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 260.498° · Dec -67.771°
- Catalogue
- HIP 84969 · HD 156277
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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
- Beta Apus4.23
- Delta 1 Apus4.68
- Eta Apus4.89
- Epsilon Apus5.06
- Delta 2 Apus5.27
- HIP 732235.37