When is the best time to observe Ashlesha?

Ashlesha is best observed from December through February, with peak visibility during January when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is Ashlesha located in the sky?

Ashlesha lies in the constellation Hydra at right ascension 08h 47m and declination +06° 25′.

What telescope do I need to split Ashlesha?

Splitting Ashlesha requires an aperture of roughly 200 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 0.3″ at magnitudes near 3.4. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

Ashlesha — Double Star in Hydra

HIP 43109; Epsilon Hydrae; 11 Hydrae

Magnitude 3.4^m DoubleStar Hydra (Hya) Visible

Star Map + List + Plan

About Ashlesha

Description

Ashlesha, Epsilon Hydrae, is a multiple-star system about 129 light-years away in the constellation Hydra. The brightest component is a G-type giant of spectral class G7 III paired with an A-type subgiant companion at about 0.2 arcseconds — spectroscopically resolved but too close for visual splitting. The system shines at combined magnitude 3.38.

Observing Tips

Ashlesha marks the head of Hydra, just south of the Cancer border. In small telescopes the pair appears as a single yellow-white point. A small, faint star (magnitude 10) at 3 arcseconds is sometimes observed as a visual companion but is actually a background star. Best observed January through May.

History

The name Ashlesha comes from Sanskrit, referring to one of the 27 lunar mansions (nakshatras) of traditional Indian astronomy. The nakshatra Ashlesha is associated with this region of Hydra. The IAU adopted the name in 2017.

Fun Facts

Ashlesha is one of a small number of IAU-adopted star names drawn from Sanskrit and Indian astronomy — others include Revati and Chara. The nakshatra system divides the ecliptic into 27 equal lunar-mansion segments, anchoring many traditional Indian calendrical and astrological calculations.

Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 3.38

Range 3.35 - 3.39

Variable Type BY:

Spectral Type G7III + A8III-IV: giant

Star Color Orange (B-V 0.68)

Distance 129 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 08h 46m 46.6s

Dec +06° 25' 08.0"

Constellation Hydra (Hya)

HR 3482

HIP 43109

HD 74874

SAO 117112

Bayer Epsilon

Flamsteed 11 Hya

Variable ID Eps Hya

Double Cat 6993

SIMBAD Wikipedia

3How easy to spot?

Equipment	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
Naked eye Naked eye	Easy	Easy	Medium+
50 mm finder 50mm finder	Easy	Easy	Easy
150 mm telescope 150mm scope	Easy	Easy	Easy

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

4Visibility

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Best season Dec – Feb (peak: Jan)

5Multiple Star System Sextuple

Components 6 (sextuple)

Component IDs AB

Separation 0.3″

Companion Mag 5.6

Companion Sp A8V

Position Angle 126°

Star Colors A: Orange B: Yellow-white

Discoverer SP 1

Notes

AB 3.8 G5III, 4.7 A8IV or F0V, 15.05y, a = 0.238". Speckle interferometric sep. 0.263-0.272", 1980-3. Combined mag., | colors. ABxC, 3.4, 7.8, dF7 at 3" from AB, 890y, a = 4.536". Component D, 12.7v at 19" from A, in hyperbolic orbit | about ABC, periastron distance, 29".