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Gam2Vel The Sun
Surface temperature
12,390 K
Radius
31 × the Sun
Luminosity
20,380 × the Sun
Spectral type
WC8 + O9I
Diagram, not a photograph. Colour from the star’s measured colour index; size from its luminosity and temperature, drawn to one scale with the Sun. Source: HYG stellar database.

Cataloged star · Database record + computed analysis

Gam2Vel

HIP 39953 · HD 68273

A real star from the HYG catalog in the constellation Vela.

1,117.0 light-years away Apparent magnitude 1.75

Wolf–Rayet star

Its spectral type is WC8 + O9I: a dying heavyweight blowing itself apart in fierce winds. From its measured color, its surface temperature is roughly 12,390 K (12,116 °C), an estimate computed from the catalog's color index.

How far away is it?

It lies about 1,117 light-years away (342.5 parsecs, from its measured parallax). The light reaching Earth tonight left it around the year 909.

How powerful is it?

Its computed luminosity is 20,380 times the Sun's output, a genuine searchlight (derived from its brightness and distance).

Can you see it?

At apparent magnitude 1.75, it is an easy naked-eye star under any reasonable sky. It favors southern observers.

It varies

This is a catalogued variable star (Gam-2): its brightness measurably changes over time, whether by pulsation, eclipses in a double system, or surface activity.

Everything above is computed from the catalog’s measured values for this star. Where a value is missing, the statement is omitted rather than guessed.

About this record

Data: the HYG stellar database v4.1 (Hipparcos + Yale + Gliese, CC BY-SA, © David Nash / astronexus). Want the full stories? Our deep star guides cover Sirius, Betelgeuse, Proxima Centauri, Vega and three dozen more. You can also browse the catalog or learn how stars live and die.