λ Hydrae (lambda Hydrae)
λ Hydrae is a multiple hypergiant star in the constellation of Hydra.
λ Hydrae visual magnitude is 3.61. Because of its moderate brightness, λ Hydrae 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 λ Hydrae:
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of λ Hydrae
λ 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 λ Hydrae are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of λ Hydrae in the sky:
Visibility of λ Hydrae from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's λ Hydrae (lambda 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 λ Hydrae
The image below is a photograph of λ 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 λ Hydrae is -0.202 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.089 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.
Distance of λ Hydrae from the Sun and relative movement
λ Hydrae is distant 114.63 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 19 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of λ Hydrae
λ Hydrae belongs to spectral class K0 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a hypergiant star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where λ Hydrae is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
λ Hydrae star system properties
λ 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 λ Hydrae double sysyem: