Star · ?
Gl 261
Gl 261 is a white dwarf of spectral type ? in the constellation Monoceros, 67.5 light-years from the Sun.
| Constellation | Monoceros |
|---|---|
| Distance | 67.5 light-years (20.7 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 15.27 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude 13.69 |
| Spectral type | ? |
| Surface temperature | 8,000 K |
| Luminosity | 3.02 × 10⁻⁴ L☉ |
| Radius | 0.012 R☉ |
| Mass | 0.6 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 01m 53.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −6° 27′ 07″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 87.3 km/s |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.27. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 84° N. 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 1958. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1.2 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around Gl 261, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 6.41, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Aquila. It would be visible to the naked eye.
Neighbours
Its nearest neighbours in the catalogue (within 20 light-years):
- GJ 1094 5.18 light-years
- WISE J064528.38-030248.2 9.30 light-years
- Gl 256 9.33 light-years
- GJ 3450B 10.1 light-years
- WISEA J071552.38-114532.9 11.2 light-years
- DENIS-P J0716478-063037 13.2 light-years
- GJ 3433 13.4 light-years
- HIP 36827 13.6 light-years
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.