Blue-white subgiant · Columba
Elkurud
Also known as: θ Columbae (θ Col), HIP 29034
mag 5.0720 light-years
About
Elkurud (θ Columbae) is a blue-white subgiant of magnitude 5.0 in Columba, about 720 light-years away.
How to find it
- Elkurud is in the constellation Columba.
- Best evenings: around early February it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 43° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNeeds a dark sky away from city lights.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Proper name | Elkurud |
|---|---|
| Designation | θ Columbae (θ Col) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 29034 |
| Type | Blue-white subgiant |
| Spectral type | B8:IV |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.10 |
| Magnitude | 5.0The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 720 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1300. |
| Proper motion | 0.001″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Columba |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 06h 07m 31.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −37° 15′ 10″ |
More in Columba
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →