Orange main-sequence star
p Eridani
Also known as: HIP 7751
mag 5.826 light-years
About
p Eridani is an orange main-sequence star of magnitude 5.8, about 26 light-years away.
How to find it
- Best evenings: around early December 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 24° 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 | p Eridani |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 7751 |
| Type | Orange main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | K0V |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.88 |
| Magnitude | 5.8The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 26 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 2000. |
| Proper motion | 0.29″ per year across the sky |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 01h 39m 47.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −56° 11′ 47″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →