Star profile
HIP 96178
Variable starWhat is HIP 96178
In the southern Telescope, another of the technical constellations Lacaille named after scientific instruments, a white variable star pulses 397 light-years away. Its light departed just as Galileo —in delicious irony— had begun the very use of the telescope. The star oscillates faintly, as if winking back at the constellation that observes it.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 96178 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is July, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 4° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 79° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 45° N.
It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 27 stars of Telescopium in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Telescopium, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 400 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 96178
- Constellation
- Telescopium
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.59
- Distance
- 396.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 293.340° · Dec -45.272°
- Catalogue
- HIP 96178 · HD 183806
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Telescopium
Telescopium has 27 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Telescopium3.49
- Zeta Telescopium4.10
- Epsilon Telescopium4.52
- HIP 947125.38
- HIP 904145.44
- HIP 926305.51
- HIP 997475.65
- HIP 906625.69