χ Eridani (chi Eridani)

χ Eridani is a variable and double giant star in the constellation of Eridanus.

χ Eridani visual magnitude is 3.7. Because of its moderate brightness, χ Eridani should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about χ Eridani:

Color of χ Eridani ⬤

Magnitude of χ Eridani 3.7

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW χ Eridani (chi Eridani) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of χ Eridani

χ Eridani is situated south of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the southern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of χ Eridani are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 01h 55m 57s

Declination J2000 -51° 36’ 32”

Galactic Longitude 280.88°

Galactic Latitude -62.67°

Constellation Eridanus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of χ Eridani in the sky:

Finder chart χ Eridani (chi Eridani) star

Simplified finder chart for χ Eridani (chi Eridani).

Visibility of χ Eridani from your location

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

χ Eridani (chi Eridani) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt

Digitized Sky Survey image of χ Eridani

The image below is a photograph of χ Eridani from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of χ Eridani is 0.681 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.292 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of χ Eridani. The red arrow shows the motion of χ Eridani during the next 1000 years (11.35 arcmin in Right Ascension and 4.87 arcmin in declination);

Distance of χ Eridani from the Sun and relative movement

χ Eridani is distant 57.00 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 6 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 17.49 pc

Distance (light year) 57.00 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -6 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.681 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec 0.292 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of χ Eridani

χ Eridani belongs to spectral class G8 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude 2.49

Spectral Type G8III

Color Index (B-V) 0.85

Temperature of χ Eridani 5134K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where χ Eridani is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

H-R diagram showing the position of χ Eridani. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

χ Eridani star system properties

χ Eridani is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the χ Eridani double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 3.7

Secondary star magnitude 10.2

Magnitude difference 6.5

Separation 4.8 arcsec

Alternative designations of χ Eridani

Bayer designation χ Eridani
(chi Eridani)

Henry Draper Catalogue HD11937

SAO Catalogue SAO232573

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP9007

Durchmusterung Catalogue CP-52 241

Gliese Catalogue Gl 81 A

FK5 Catalogue 68

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 671

In Evidence

Other stars in Eridanus