HIP 56135 The Sun

Surface temperature: 4,190 K
Radius: 25 × the Sun
Luminosity: 179 × the Sun
Spectral type: K2IIICN-1

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 56135

HIP 56135 · HD 99967

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

851.6 light-years away Apparent magnitude 6.30

K-type: orange and patient

Its spectral type is K2IIICN-1: cooler and longer-lived than the Sun, and often considered prime habitable-zone hosts. From its measured color, its surface temperature is roughly 4,185 K (3,912 °C), an estimate computed from the catalog's color index.

How far away is it?

It lies about 852 light-years away (261.1 parsecs, from its measured parallax). The light reaching Earth tonight left it around the year 1,174.

How powerful is it?

Its computed luminosity is about 179.3 times the Sun's output (derived from its brightness and distance).

Can you see it?

At apparent magnitude 6.30, 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 (EE): 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.