- Stars with a name
- Kapteyn's Star
Kapteyn's Star
HD 33793
Kapteyn's Star is a red star, in the constellation Pictor. The light you see from it tonight left it around 2013.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it only ever stays low over the southern horizon.
Too faint for the naked eye: you’ll need binoculars. Apparent magnitude 8.86.
What it’s like
It gives off about 0.40% of the Sun’s light.
Its surface is at about 3,700 degrees.
It is 12.8 light years away: 121 trillion kilometres.
It is the star of people born around 2013: the light that left it then is reaching Earth now.