Red giant · Grus

Tiaki

Also known as: β Gruis (β Gru), HIP 112122

mag 2.1180 light-years

About

Tiaki (β Gruis) is a red giant of magnitude 2.1 in Grus, about 180 light-years away.

Tiaki is in the constellation Grus.
Best evenings: around mid-October 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 33° 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.

EyesEasy, even from town. Its orange-red tint is plain to see.
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	Tiaki
Designation	β Gruis (β Gru)
Hipparcos number	HIP 112122
Type	Red giant
Spectral type	M5III
Colour	Orange-redB−V colour index 1.61
Magnitude	2.1The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance	180 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1850.
Proper motion	0.14″ per year across the sky
Constellation	Grus
Right ascension (J2000)	22h 42m 40.0s
Declination (J2000)	−46° 53′ 05″