Orange giant · Crater
ε Crateris
Also known as: ε Crt, HIP 55687
mag 4.8380 light-years
About
ε Crateris is an orange giant of magnitude 4.8 in Crater, about 380 light-years away.
How to find it
- ε Crateris is in the constellation Crater.
- Best evenings: around late April 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 69° 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
| Designation | ε Crateris (ε Crt) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 55687 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K5III |
| Colour | Orange-redB−V colour index 1.56 |
| Magnitude | 4.8The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 380 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1650. |
| Proper motion | 0.034″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Crater |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 24m 36.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −10° 51′ 33″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →