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Alpha Sculptoris — Star in Sculptor

Magnitude 4.3m Star Sculptor (Scl) Visible
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1Physical Properties

Magnitude 4.31
Spectral Type B7IIIp bright giant
Star Color Blue (B-V -0.16)

2Position & Identifiers

RA 00h 58m 36.4s
Dec -29° 21' 27.0"
Constellation Sculptor (Scl)
HR 280
HIP 4577
HD 5737
SAO 166716
Bayer Alpha
SIMBAD

3How easy to spot?

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Equipment Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5
Naked eye Medium+ Medium+ Medium
50mm finder Easy Easy Easy
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 Aug – Oct (peak: Sep)

5Survey Image

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7

Size Comparison

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8

Compare Stars

9

Spectral Classification

10

Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

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Read: The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram — Reading Stars Like a Map
11

Stellar Lifecycle

12

Blackbody Spectrum

13

Stellar Absorption Spectrum

Simulated absorption spectrum based on spectral type. Hover over lines to identify elements.

14

Stellar Fusion

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15Stellar Notes

Possible periodicities: 19.4, 16.7, 0.95, 0.49d.
About 100y, K 6k/s, asini 4000 solar radii. Companion suspected of being black hole.
Weak helium-line star. Also classified B8IIIp. Circumstellar cloud.

Nearby in the Sky

Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.

Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.

NGC 289
Hard+
Barred spiral galaxy
Galaxy mag 12.0 2.2° Sculptor
NGC 288
Easy
Globular cluster — dense ball of ancient stars
Globular Cluster mag 8.1 3.1° Sculptor
R Scl
Easy
Mira-type variable, range 5.5–8.0
Variable Star mag 5.79 6.9° Sculptor
Eta Scl
Easy
Cool red giant
Star mag 4.81 7.5° Sculptor
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