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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:50  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:02 south
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All Constellations » Eridanus » 

Cursa - β Eridani (beta Eridani)

Cursa, also designated as β Eridani (beta Eridani), is a variable and double giant star in the constellation of Eridanus.

Cursa visual magnitude is 2.79. Thanks to its high brightness, Cursa is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The table below summarizes the key facts about Cursa:

2.79
Giant
Cursa - β Eridani (beta Eridani) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Cursa

Cursa is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of Cursa are provided in the following table:

05h 07m 50s
-05° 05’ 11”
205.34°
-25.31°
Eridanus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Cursa in the sky:

Finder chart Cursa - β Eridani (beta Eridani) star
Simplified finder chart for Cursa - β Eridani (beta Eridani).

Visibility of Cursa from your location

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

Today's Cursa - β Eridani (beta Eridani) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 95.1°
Max altitude: 33.4°
Azimuth: 264.9°
Cursa - β Eridani (beta Eridani) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of Cursa

The image below is a photograph of Cursa 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 Cursa is -0.095 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.081 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Cursa - β Eridani (beta Eridani) star
DSS2 image of Cursa. The red arrow shows the motion of Cursa during the next 1000 years (-1.58 arcmin in Right Ascension and -1.35 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Cursa from the Sun and relative movement

Cursa is distant 88.80 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 9 kilometers per second.

27.24 pc
88.80 ly
-9 km/s
-0.095 arcsec/year
-0.081 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Cursa

Cursa belongs to spectral class A3 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

0.61
A3III
8748K

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

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of Cursa. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Cursa star system properties

Cursa 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 Cursa double sysyem:

2.79
10.79
8
116.7 arcsec

Alternative designations of Cursa

Cursa
β Eridani
(beta Eridani)
SAO131794
SAO131794