Blue-white main-sequence star · Sextans
β Sextantis
Also known as: β Sex, HIP 51437
mag 5.1410 light-years
About
β Sextantis is a blue-white main-sequence star of magnitude 5.1 in Sextans, about 410 light-years away.
How to find it
- β Sextantis is in the constellation Sextans.
- Best evenings: around mid-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 79° 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 | β Sextantis (β Sex) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 51437 |
| Type | Blue-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | B6V |
| Colour | Blue-whiteB−V colour index −0.14 |
| Magnitude | 5.1The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 410 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1620. |
| Proper motion | 0.046″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Sextans |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 30m 17.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −00° 38′ 13″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →