Star profile
Kaus Australis
Epsilon Sagittarii · Sagittarius
Hot blue starWhat is Kaus Australis
Kaus Australis marks the lower part of the archer's bow in Sagittarius, the 'southern bow' aimed straight at the galactic heart. It is a hot, young blue star, fierce enough to cut through the dense band of the Milky Way behind it. Its light set out about 143 years ago, when the first transatlantic telegraph cables were still being laid.
Where it is and when to see it
Kaus Australis 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: 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 Kaus Australis
- Constellation
- Sagittarius
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.79
- Distance
- 143.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 276.043° · Dec -34.385°
- Catalogue
- HIP 90185 · HD 169022
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Sagittarius
Sagittarius has 117 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- NunkiSigma Sagittarii2.05
- AscellaZeta Sagittarii2.60
- Kaus MediaDelta Sagittarii2.72
- Kaus BorealisLambda Sagittarii2.82
- AlbaldahPi Sagittarii2.88
- AlnaslGamma 2 Sagittarii2.98
- Eta Sagittarii3.10
- Phi Sagittarii3.17