Yellow giant · Circinus
η Circini
Also known as: η Cir, HIP 73776
mag 5.2280 light-years
About
η Circini is a yellow giant of magnitude 5.2 in Circinus, about 280 light-years away.
How to find it
- η Circini is in the constellation Circinus.
- Best evenings: around late June 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 16° 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 | η Circini (η Cir) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 73776 |
| Type | Yellow giant |
| Spectral type | G8III |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.94 |
| Magnitude | 5.2The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 280 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1750. |
| Proper motion | 0.10″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Circinus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 04m 48.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −64° 01′ 53″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →