Menu

Phi Eridani — Star in Eridanus

Magnitude 3.6m Star Eridanus (Eri) Visible
Star Map
+ List + Plan

Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 3.56
Spectral Type B6V
Star Color Blue-white (B-V -0.12)
Distance 154 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 02h 16m 30.6s
Dec -51° 30' 44.0"
Constellation Eridanus (Eri)
HR 674
HIP 10602
HD 14228
SAO 232696
Bayer Phi
SIMBAD

3How easy to spot?

Sign in and configure your equipment and default location to see a personalized row.
Equipment Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5
Naked eye Easy Easy 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

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Sep – Nov (peak: Oct)

5Survey Image

Loading survey image…

Explore

7

Size Comparison

Querying VizieR for stellar data…
8

Compare Stars

9

Spectral Classification

10

Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

Loading HR diagram…
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

Discover

15Stellar Notes

Companion G2V?
Color excess E(B-V) = 0.00
Pleiades group.
Neutral carbon continuum shows discontinuities in UV.
16

Light Travel Time Machine

17

Relativistic Travel

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.

Achernar
HIP 7588; Alpha Eridani
Easy
Bright naked-eye star, mag 0.5
Double Star mag 0.46 8.0° Eridanus
NGC 1249
Hard+
Barred spiral galaxy
Galaxy mag 12.0 8.3° Horologium
C87
NGC 1261
Easy
Globular cluster — dense ball of ancient stars
Globular Cluster mag 8.4 9.1° Horologium
TW Hor
Hard+
Semi-regular variable, range 5.5–6.0
Variable Star mag 5.74 10.0° Horologium
Show on Map

Explore Nightbase

Related knowledge, tools, and stories — no observation planning required.

Arthur Eddington
1919 eclipse expedition confirming general relativity; first theory of stellar interiors; the Eddington limit
Biography
The Life of Stars
From birth in a nebula to spectacular death — how stars are born, shine, swell, and die, and how to read the clues in their starlight.
Article
Eridanus
Mythology, bright stars, and deep-sky highlights.
Constellation
}