Star · K3V
Gl 542
Gl 542 is a main-sequence star of spectral type K3V in the constellation Centaurus, 38.6 light-years from the Sun.
| Other names | HIP 69972 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 38.6 light-years (11.8 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 6.66 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude 6.30 |
| Spectral type | K3V |
| Surface temperature | 4,700 K |
| Luminosity | 0.415 L☉ |
| Radius | 0.971 R☉ |
| Mass | 0.803 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 19m 05.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −59° 22′ 45″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 55.3 km/s |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 6.66); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 31° N. South of latitude 31° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1987. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 684 thousand years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around Gl 542, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 5.19, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Cassiopeia. It would be visible to the naked eye.
Neighbours
Its nearest neighbours in the catalogue (within 20 light-years):
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.