Yellow giant · Hydra
γ Hydrae
Also known as: γ Hya, HIP 64962
mag 3.0130 light-years
About
γ Hydrae is a yellow giant of magnitude 3.0 in Hydra, about 130 light-years away.
How to find it
- γ Hydrae is in the constellation Hydra.
- Best evenings: around late May 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 57° 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
- EyesEasy, even from town.
- 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 | γ Hydrae (γ Hya) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 64962 |
| Type | Yellow giant |
| Spectral type | G8III |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.92 |
| Magnitude | 3.0The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 130 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1890. |
| Proper motion | 0.080″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 18m 55.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −23° 10′ 17″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →