Orange giant · Hydra
μ Hydrae
Also known as: μ Hya, HIP 51069
mag 3.8230 light-years
About
μ Hydrae is an orange giant of magnitude 3.8 in Hydra, about 230 light-years away.
How to find it
- μ Hydrae is in the constellation Hydra.
- 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 63° 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
- 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 | μ Hydrae (μ Hya) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 51069 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K4III |
| Colour | OrangeB−V colour index 1.46 |
| Magnitude | 3.8The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 230 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1790. |
| Proper motion | 0.15″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 26m 05.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −16° 50′ 11″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →