Yellow giant · Hydra
ζ Hydrae
Also known as: ζ Hya, HIP 43813
mag 3.1170 light-years
About
ζ Hydrae is a yellow giant of magnitude 3.1 in Hydra, about 170 light-years away.
How to find it
- ζ Hydrae is in the constellation Hydra.
- Best evenings: around late March 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 north of 74° S.
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
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- 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 | ζ Hydrae (ζ Hya) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 43813 |
| Type | Yellow giant |
| Spectral type | G8III-IV |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.98 |
| Magnitude | 3.1The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 170 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1860. |
| Proper motion | 0.10″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 08h 55m 23.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +05° 56′ 44″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →