ξ Eridani (xi Eridani)

Altitude: -42.0° Azimuth: 351.6° Direction: North

ξ Eridani is a variable main-sequence star in the constellation of Eridanus.

ξ Eridani visual magnitude is 5.17. Because of its reltive faintness, ξ Eridani should be visible only from locations with dark skyes, while it is not visible at all from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about ξ Eridani:

Color of ξ Eridani ⬤

Magnitude of ξ Eridani 5.17

Class Main-sequence

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW

ξ Eridani (xi Eridani) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -42.0°
Azimuth: 351.6°
Direction: North

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ξ Eridani

ξ Eridani 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 ξ Eridani are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 04h 23m 40s

Declination J2000 -03° 44’ 44”

Galactic Longitude 197.82°

Galactic Latitude -34.3°

Constellation Eridanus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of ξ Eridani in the sky:

Finder chart ξ Eridani (xi Eridani) star

Simplified finder chart for ξ Eridani (xi Eridani).

Visibility of ξ Eridani from your location

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

Today's ξ Eridani (xi Eridani) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 93.7° RISE 17:38

Max altitude: 34.8° TRANSIT 23:17

Azimuth: 266.3° SET 5:01

Digitized Sky Survey image of ξ Eridani

The image below is a photograph of ξ Eridani 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 ξ Eridani is -0.05 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.057 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of ξ Eridani. The red arrow shows the motion of ξ Eridani during the next 10000 years (-8.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -9.50 arcmin in declination);

Distance of ξ Eridani from the Sun and relative movement

ξ Eridani is distant 208.17 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 11 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 63.86 pc

Distance (light year) 208.17 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -11 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.05 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.057 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of ξ Eridani

ξ Eridani belongs to spectral class A2 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.

Absolute magnitude 1.14

Spectral Type A2V

Color Index (B-V) 0.08

Temperature of ξ Eridani 9226K

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

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

Alternative designations of ξ Eridani

Bayer designation ξ Eridani
(xi Eridani)

Flamsteed designation 42 Eridani

Henry Draper Catalogue HD27861

SAO Catalogue SAO131176

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP20507

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD-04 818

FK5 Catalogue 1120

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 1590

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In Evidence

Other stars in Eridanus