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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » 

Grus (The Crane) Constellation

Altitude: -6.4°   Azimuth: 183.0°   Direction: South

Grus (pronounced ˈɡrʌs) is the Latin name of a constellation situated south of the celestial equator. As such, it is more easily visible from the southern hemisphere.

In English language this constellation is also known as "The Crane" while in astronomical texts and literature this constellation is often abbreviated as "Gru" (according to the standard of the International Astronomical Union - IAU) or as "Grus" (according to a naming convention used by NASA).

The Latin genitive of the constellation name is "Gruis" (pronounced ˈɡruːɪs) and it is used to identify some of the brightest stars in this constellation based on the Bayer or Flamsteed star naming convention. For instance: α Gruis (the brightest star of Grus based on the Bayer catalog); or 23 Gruis (the 23th star in the constellation of Grus based on the Flamsteed catalog).

Grus is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
Available Resources for Grus

Sky Chart of Grus Constellation

Here we provide a simplified sky chart of the Grus constellation. Alternatively it is possible to locate Grus in the night sky using our Online Interactive Planetarium.

Chart of  constellation
This constellation image is derivatve work based on original work by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) CC-BY-3.0.

Visibility of Grus Constellation

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Grus is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt

The rise and set times provided here are just directional indications and they refer to a point approximately placed at the center of the constellation. In case of very large constellations these times can have little relevance.

Bright Stars in Grus Constellation

The table below lists the top 20 brightest stars in the Grus constellation. See also the complete list of 62 stars brighter than magnitude 6.5 (approximate) in the constellation of Grus. Click on each star to see more details about it.

HR Number(*) Star designation Proper name Visual magnitude Color Notes
HR8425 α Gruis Alnair 1.74 Variable; Double;
HR8636 β Gruis Tiaki 2.1 Variable;
HR8353 γ Gruis Aldhanab 3.01
HR8675 ε Gruis 3.49 Variable;
HR8820 ι Gruis 3.9
HR8556 δ1 Gruis 3.97 Variable; Double;
HR8560 δ2 Gruis 4.11 Variable; Double;
HR8747 ζ Gruis 4.12
HR8787 θ Gruis 4.28 Multiple;
HR8411 λ Gruis 4.46
HR8486 μ1 Gruis 4.79
HR8655 η Gruis 4.85 Double;
HR8644 ρ Gruis 4.85 Double;
HR8488 μ2 Gruis 5.1
HR8229 ξ Gruis 5.29
HR8501 5.37 Double;
HR8774 κ Gruis 5.37
HR8685 5.42
HR8366 5.46
HR8552 ν Gruis 5.47 Double;
...go to the complete list of 62 bright stars in the constellation of Grus

(*) HR stands for Harvard Revised Bright Star Catalogue, which is also known as the Yale Catalogue of Bright Stars.

Deep Sky Objects in Grus Constellation

The table below lists the 20 brightest deep sky objects in the Grus constellation. See also the complete list of 79 deep sky objects in the constellation of Grus. The list includes objects from the Messier, New General Catalogue (NGC) and Index Catalogue (IC).

Name Type Magnitude
NGC 7424 Galaxy 10.38 (V)
IC 5267 Galaxy 10.47 (V)
NGC 7552 Galaxy 10.57 (V)
NGC 7582 Galaxy 10.62 (V)
NGC 7144 Galaxy 10.71 (V)
IC 5148 Planetary Nebula 11 (V)
NGC 7145 Galaxy 11.23 (V)
NGC 7531 Galaxy 11.26 (V)
IC 5240 Galaxy 11.31 (V)
NGC 7412 Galaxy 11.38 (V)
NGC 7418 Galaxy 11.39 (V)
NGC 7599 Galaxy 11.41 (V)
IC 5273 Galaxy 11.45 (V)
IC 5201 Galaxy 11.53 (B)
NGC 7079 Galaxy 11.61 (V)
IC 5181 Galaxy 11.69 (V)
NGC 7097 Galaxy 11.71 (V)
NGC 7232 Galaxy 11.79 (V)
IC 5186 Galaxy 11.8 (V)
NGC 7410 Galaxy 11.8 (V)
...go to the complete list of 79 deep sky objects in the constellation of Grus