Blue-white giant · Crux
Mimosa
Also known as: β Crucis (β Cru), HIP 62434
mag 1.3280 light-years
About
Mimosa (β Crucis) is a blue-white giant of magnitude 1.3 in Crux, about 280 light-years away.
How to find it
- Mimosa is in the constellation Crux.
- Best evenings: around mid-May 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 20° N.
- Star patterns: Southern Cross and the Pointers.
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
- EyesA first-magnitude star, obvious even from a city. It looks blue-white.
- 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 | Mimosa |
|---|---|
| Designation | β Crucis (β Cru) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 62434 |
| Type | Blue-white giant |
| Spectral type | B0.5III |
| Colour | Blue-whiteB−V colour index −0.24 |
| Magnitude | 1.3The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 280 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1750. |
| Proper motion | 0.050″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Crux |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 47m 43.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −59° 41′ 20″ |
More in Crux
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →