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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:44  
clear_day Transit: 11:48  
SunsetSet: 15:51 south
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All Constellations » Auriga » 

Haedus - η Aurigae (eta Aurigae)

Altitude: 9.9°   Azimuth: 31.3°   Direction: North-North-East

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:

3.17
Main-sequence

Haedus - η Aurigae (eta Aurigae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 9.9°
Azimuth: 31.3°
Direction: North-North-East

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:

05h 06m 30s
+41° 14’ 03”
165.35°
0.27°
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 00:20 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.

67.25 pc
219.23 ly
7 km/s
0.029 arcsec/year
-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.

-0.97
B3V
13121K

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

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

Alternative designations of Haedus

Haedus
η Aurigae
(eta Aurigae)
SAO40026
SAO40026