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public  Greenwich, UK Greenwich, UK  ⓘ
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All Constellations » Crux » 

Gacrux - γ Crucis (gamma Crucis)

Below the horizon.  Never rises today
Alt: -30.23°   Az: 146.20°   Direction: South-East

Gacrux, also designated as γ Crucis (gamma Crucis), is a variable and multiple giant star of spectral class M3 in the constellation of Crux.

Gacrux visual magnitude is 1.63, making it the 23th brightest star in the sky. Because of its brightness, Gacrux is clearly visible to the naked eye when observed from locations with dark skies, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

Image of Gacrux - γ Crucis (gamma Crucis) star
DSS2 image of Gacrux. The red arrow shows the motion of Gacrux during the next 1000 years (0.38 arcmin in Right Ascension and -4.37 arcmin in declination);

Celestial Coordinates

Apparent

12h 32m 33s
-57° 15’ 01”
19h 49m 13s
08h 21m 46s

J2000

12h 31m 09s
-57° 06’ 47”

Galactic Coordinates

300.17°
5.65°

Finder Chart

Finder chart Gacrux - γ Crucis (gamma Crucis) star
Simplified finder chart for Gacrux - γ Crucis (gamma Crucis).

Magnitude, Color, Spectral Class

1.63
Giant

-0.52
M3III
3663K

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

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

Star System Properties

Gacrux is a visual double star which can be observed with the help of small or medium telescopes. The table below shows key information about the Gacrux double sysyem:

1.63
6.73
5.1
110.6 arcsec

Distance, Radial Speed, Proper Motion

Gacrux is distant 87.89 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 21 kilometers per second.

26.96
87.89
21 km/s
0.023 arcsec/y
-0.262"/y

Alternative Designations

Gacrux
γ Crucis
(gamma Crucis)
SAO240019
SAO240019

Visibility from Your Location

Gacrux - γ Crucis (gamma Crucis) is currently not visible from Greenwich, UK