Star · ?
γ² Vel
γ² Vel is a supergiant star of spectral type ? in the constellation Vela, 1,117 light-years from the Sun.
| Other names | HIP 39953 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Vela |
| Distance | 1,117 light-years (342.5 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 1.75 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −5.92 |
| Spectral type | ? |
| Surface temperature | 12,390 K |
| Luminosity | 40,700 L☉ |
| Radius | 43.8 R☉ |
| Mass | 18.9 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 09m 32.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −47° 20′ 12″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 24.6 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 1.75). Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 43° N. South of latitude 43° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 909. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 20 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around γ² Vel, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 12.50, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Cygnus. It would be invisible to the naked eye.
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.