Yellow-white giant · Horologium

λ Horologii

Also known as: λ Hor, HIP 11258

mag 5.4160 light-years

About

λ Horologii is a yellow-white giant of magnitude 5.4 in Horologium, about 160 light-years away.

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How to find it

  • λ Horologii is in the constellation Horologium.
  • Best evenings: around mid-December 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 20° N.

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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

Designationλ Horologii (λ Hor)
Hipparcos numberHIP 11258
TypeYellow-white giant
Spectral typeF2III
ColourYellowish whiteB−V colour index 0.40
Magnitude5.4The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance160 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1870.
Proper motion0.15″ per year across the sky
ConstellationHorologium
Right ascension (J2000)02h 24m 54.0s
Declination (J2000)−60° 18′ 43″

Sources and credits

Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →