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Star profile

Eta 2 Hydrus

3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is Eta 2 Hydrus

Eta-2 Hydri is a yellow type-G giant that hosts a confirmed planet, discovered in 2005 through the radial-velocity method: a gas world several times more massive than Jupiter, orbiting an aging sun. The star sits in the small Hydrus, the southern Water Snake charted by the Dutch navigators Keyser and de Houtman in the late sixteenth century.

Where it is and when to see it

Eta 2 Hydrus lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is August, 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. 6 in brightness among the 20 stars of Hydrus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Beta Hydrus, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 220 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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

Leave your signature on Eta 2 Hydrus

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.

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 Eta 2 Hydrus

Constellation
Hydrus
Apparent magnitude
4.68
Distance
218.8 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 28.734° · Dec -67.647°
Catalogue
HIP 8928 · HD 11977

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

Other stars in Hydrus

Hydrus has 20 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 20 stars in Hydrus