Star · K0V
Gl 656
Gl 656 is a main-sequence star of spectral type K0V in the constellation Ara, 44.8 light-years from the Sun.
| Other names | HIP 83990 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ara |
| Distance | 44.8 light-years (13.7 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 7.38 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude 6.69 |
| Spectral type | K0V |
| Surface temperature | 5,030 K |
| Luminosity | 0.245 L☉ |
| Radius | 0.652 R☉ |
| Mass | 0.703 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 10m 10.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −60° 43′ 44″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 39.2 km/s |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 7.38); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 29° N. South of latitude 29° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1981. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 794 thousand years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around Gl 656, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 5.52, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Camelopardalis. 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.