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Kappa Mensae — Star in Mensa

Magnitude 5.5m Star Mensa (Men) Visible
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1Physical Properties

Magnitude 5.47
Spectral Type B9V
Star Color Blue-white (B-V -0.08)

2Position & Identifiers

RA 05h 50m 16.7s
Dec -79° 21' 41.0"
Constellation Mensa (Men)
HR 2125
HIP 27566
HD 40953
SAO 256248
Bayer Kappa
SIMBAD

3How easy to spot?

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Equipment Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5
Naked eye Medium Hard+ Hard
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 Nov – Jan (peak: Dec)

5Survey Image

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6

Size Comparison

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7

Compare Stars

8

Spectral Classification

9

Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

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Read: The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram — Reading Stars Like a Map
10

Stellar Lifecycle

11

Blackbody Spectrum

12

Stellar Absorption Spectrum

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

13

Stellar Fusion

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 2012
Hard+
Elliptical galaxy
Galaxy mag 12.97 1.3° Mensa
NGC 2203
Medium
Open cluster
Open Cluster mag 11.29 4.0° Mensa
NGC 1841
Hard+
Globular cluster — dense ball of ancient stars
Globular Cluster mag 12.0 5.2° Mensa
TZ Men
Medium
Eclipsing binary, period 8.6d
Variable Star mag 6.20 5.5° Mensa
Show on Map

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