γ Hydrae (gamma Hydrae)
γ Hydrae is a variable and double giant star in the constellation of Hydra.
γ Hydrae visual magnitude is 3. Thanks to its high brightness, γ Hydrae 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 γ Hydrae:
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of γ Hydrae
γ Hydrae 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 γ Hydrae are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of γ Hydrae in the sky:
Visibility of γ Hydrae from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's γ Hydrae (gamma Hydrae) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Digitized Sky Survey image of γ Hydrae
The image below is a photograph of γ Hydrae 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 γ Hydrae is 0.064 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.045 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.
Distance of γ Hydrae from the Sun and relative movement
γ Hydrae is distant 132.04 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 5 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of γ Hydrae
γ Hydrae belongs to spectral class G8 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where γ Hydrae is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
γ Hydrae star system properties
γ Hydrae 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 γ Hydrae double sysyem: