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HIP 42257 The Sun
Surface temperature
5,370 K
Radius
22 × the Sun
Luminosity
365 × the Sun
Spectral type
G1Ib
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

HIP 42257

HIP 42257 · HD 73502

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

1,772.6 light-years away Apparent magnitude 7.12

G-type: a sun like ours

Its spectral type is G1Ib: the Sun's own class: roughly 5,000–6,000 °C surfaces and ~10-billion-year lifetimes. From its measured color, its surface temperature is roughly 5,373 K (5,100 °C), an estimate computed from the catalog's color index.

How far away is it?

It lies about 1,773 light-years away (543.5 parsecs, from its measured parallax). The light reaching Earth tonight left it around the year 253.

How powerful is it?

Its computed luminosity is about 365.1 times the Sun's output (derived from its brightness and distance).

Can you see it?

At apparent magnitude 7.12, it is invisible to the naked eye, though binoculars will show it. It favors southern observers.

It varies

This is a catalogued variable star (RZ): 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.