Star profile

HIP 873

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is HIP 873

In the body of the celestial whale, Cetus, radiates an orange giant about 245 light-years away. Its light set off around 1781, when William Herschel discovered Uranus from his Bath garden and the Sun's family grew by a whole new planet. Cooler and more voluminous than our star, its amber glow recalls hot metals in a silent forge.

Where it is and when to see it

HIP 873 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September: 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.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

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

If you don't have an account yet, we'll ask for an email to confirm it's you: we send you a link and that's it, no password.

Write my signature

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 873

Constellation: Cetus
Apparent magnitude: 5.84
Distance: 244.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 2.678° · Dec -12.580°
Catalogue: HIP 873 · HD 645

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Cetus

Cetus has 111 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 111 stars in Cetus