Star profile
Nu Pavonis
Variable starWhat is Nu Pavonis
Nu Pavonis is a blue B-type star in the Peacock about 439 light-years away, whose brightness flickers with subtle variations. It belongs to the brood of hot suns that adorn this relatively young southern constellation, traced in the sixteenth century by Dutch navigators Pieter Keyser and Frederick de Houtman as they first charted the deep southern skies. Its fine, bluish light travels from a region of the firmament where almost every bright star received a modern name, far removed from the classical tradition of the north.
Where it is and when to see it
Nu Pavonis 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 62° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 28° N.
It ranks no. 12 in brightness among the 44 stars of Pavo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Peacock, the brightest: it lies about 15° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 440 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 Nu Pavonis
- Constellation
- Pavo
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.63
- Distance
- 439.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 277.843° · Dec -62.278°
- Catalogue
- HIP 90797 · HD 169978
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Pavo
Pavo has 44 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- PeacockAlpha Pavonis1.94
- Beta Pavonis3.42
- Delta Pavonis3.55
- Pi Pavonis4.33
- Xi Pavonis4.35
- Kappa Pavonis4.40
- Phi 1 Pavonis4.75
- HIP 920244.78