Orange giant · Eridanus

Sceptrum

Also known as: 53 Eridani (53 Eri), HIP 21594

mag 3.9110 light-years

About

Sceptrum (53 Eridani) is an orange giant of magnitude 3.9 in Eridanus, about 110 light-years away.

Sceptrum is in the constellation Eridanus.
Best evenings: around mid-January 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 66° 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.

EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
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.

Proper name	Sceptrum
Designation	53 Eridani (53 Eri)
Hipparcos number	HIP 21594
Type	Orange giant
Spectral type	K1III
Colour	Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.08
Magnitude	3.9The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance	110 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1920.
Proper motion	0.19″ per year across the sky
Constellation	Eridanus
Right ascension (J2000)	04h 38m 10.8s
Declination (J2000)	−14° 18′ 14″

Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →