Haedus - η Aurigae (eta Aurigae)

Haedus, also designated as η Aurigae (eta Aurigae), is a variable main-sequence star in the constellation of Auriga.

Haedus visual magnitude is 3.17. Because of its moderate brightness, Haedus 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 Haedus:

Color of Haedus ⬤

Magnitude of Haedus 3.17

Class Main-sequence

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW Haedus - η Aurigae (eta Aurigae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt. Altitude: 10°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Haedus

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

Right Ascension J2000 05h 06m 30s

Declination J2000 +41° 14’ 03”

Galactic Longitude 165.35°

Galactic Latitude 0.27°

Constellation Auriga

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

Finder chart Haedus - η Aurigae (eta Aurigae) star

Simplified finder chart for Haedus - η Aurigae (eta Aurigae).

Visibility of Haedus from your location

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

Haedus - η Aurigae (eta Aurigae) is circumpolar and transits at 12:27 UTC (altitude: 79.8°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of Haedus

The image below is a photograph of Haedus 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 Haedus is 0.029 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.068 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Haedus - η Aurigae (eta Aurigae) star

DSS2 image of Haedus. The red arrow shows the motion of Haedus during the next 10000 years (4.83 arcmin in Right Ascension and -11.33 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Haedus from the Sun and relative movement

Haedus is distant 219.23 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 7 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 67.25 pc

Distance (light year) 219.23 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 7 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.029 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.068 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Haedus

Haedus belongs to spectral class B3 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.

Absolute magnitude -0.97

Spectral Type B3V

Color Index (B-V) -0.18

Temperature of Haedus 13121K

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

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

Alternative designations of Haedus

Proper Name Haedus

Bayer designation η Aurigae
(eta Aurigae)

Flamsteed designation 10 Aurigae

Henry Draper Catalogue HD32630

SAO Catalogue SAO40026

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP23767

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+41 1058

FK5 Catalogue 185

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 1822

In Evidence

Other stars in Auriga