Carbon star in Hydra
Star-hop chart
Stars display a wide range of colors, but often their shades are subtle. A few stars have more vivid colors, however, and a good example is the intensely red star U Hydrae. It is classified as a carbon star because there is a large amount of carbon in the star's atmosphere, which absorbs light at the blue end of the spectrum but allows the red wavelengths to pass through.
This is a large and bright star, about 400 times as luminous as our Sun. Its red color is easily seen in binoculars, and it is a memorable sight in any telescope.
| Magnitude | 4.9 |
| Distance (light yrs) | 680 |
| Right Ascension | 10:37.6 |
| Declination | -13 23 |
| Field of View | 29' x 22' |
Image details: Total exposure times of 25 seconds each of luminance, red, green, and blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager through a Meade 14” LX850 telescope at f/6.
April 2018