Blue-white main-sequence star · Columba
λ Columbae
Also known as: λ Col, HIP 27810
mag 4.9340 light-years
About
λ Columbae is a blue-white main-sequence star of magnitude 4.9 in Columba, about 340 light-years away.
How to find it
- λ Columbae is in the constellation Columba.
- Best evenings: around early February 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 46° 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 | λ Columbae (λ Col) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 27810 |
| Type | Blue-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | B5V |
| Colour | Blue-whiteB−V colour index −0.15 |
| Magnitude | 4.9The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 340 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1690. |
| Proper motion | 0.033″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Columba |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 05h 53m 06.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −33° 48′ 05″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →