HIP 50222 The Sun (smaller than a dot at this scale)

Surface temperature: 3,620 K
Radius: 90 × the Sun
Luminosity: 1,255 × the Sun
Spectral type: M0IIIvar

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 50222

HIP 50222 · HD 88651

A real star from the HYG catalog in the constellation Ursa Major.

2,131.7 light-years away Apparent magnitude 6.18

M-type: red dwarf

Its spectral type is M0IIIvar: the galaxy's most common stars: small, cool, dim, flare-prone, and able to burn for trillions of years. From its measured color, its surface temperature is roughly 3,620 K (3,347 °C), an estimate computed from the catalog's color index.

How far away is it?

It lies about 2,132 light-years away (653.6 parsecs, from its measured parallax). The light reaching Earth tonight left it around the year -105.

How powerful is it?

Its computed luminosity is 1,255 times the Sun's output, a genuine searchlight (derived from its brightness and distance).

Can you see it?

At apparent magnitude 6.18, it is a naked-eye star under dark skies, washed out by city lights. It favors northern observers.

It varies

This is a catalogued variable star (U): 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.