
Star profile
HIP 87220
Hot blue starWhat is HIP 87220
In the heart of Scorpius, a blue-white B-type star pours out a fierce light that left its surface almost 557 years ago, when Europe still read Gutenberg with astonishment and the first printed maps described freshly dreamed continents. Hotter and more massive than the Sun, its glow crosses the dark with the patience of something travelling from another age. Each gleam is a Renaissance echo arriving on time at tonight's sky.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 87220 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 culminates about 7° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 18° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 88° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 58° N.
It ranks no. 32 in brightness among the 104 stars of Scorpius in our catalogue. To find it, start from Antares, the brightest: it lies about 18° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 560 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 HIP 87220
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.79
- Distance
- 556.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 267.294° · Dec -31.703°
- Catalogue
- HIP 87220 · HD 161840
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
- Zeta 1 Scorpii4.70
- Iota 2 Scorpii4.78
- 22 Scorpii4.79
- HIP 798814.80
- HIP 835744.83