White subgiant · Phoenix
η Phoenicis
Also known as: η Phe, HIP 3405
mag 4.4250 light-years
About
η Phoenicis is a white subgiant of magnitude 4.4 in Phoenix, about 250 light-years away.
How to find it
- η Phoenicis is in the constellation Phoenix.
- Best evenings: around mid-November 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 23° 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 | η Phoenicis (η Phe) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 3405 |
| Type | White subgiant |
| Spectral type | A0IV |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index 0.02 |
| Magnitude | 4.4The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 250 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1780. |
| Proper motion | 0.016″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Phoenix |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 00h 43m 21.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −57° 27′ 47″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →