Tiaki — Star in Grus

Beta Gruis is a red giant of spectral type M5III at magnitude 2.1, located about 170 light-years from Earth. It is one of the reddest bright stars in the sky, with a B-V color index of 1.60. With a surface temperature of only about 3,500 K, it is a cool, evolved star in the later stages of stellar life, having expanded to roughly 180 times the Sun's diameter.

Located in the southern constellation Grus (the Crane), Beta Gru is visible from the southern hemisphere and from northern latitudes south of about 35°N. Its deep orange-red color is obvious to the naked eye and stunning in binoculars. It lies about 5° south of the brighter Alpha Gru (Alnair). Best observed from September through November when Grus is highest in the southern evening sky.

Grus was one of the twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of the Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman in the late 16th century. Beta Gru has no traditional proper name, as the constellation was unknown to classical astronomers. The entire southern constellation group represents fauna encountered during early Dutch trading voyages to the East Indies.