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Red giant · Hercules

43 Herculis

Knowledge graph43 HerHR 6228HD 151217HIP 82073

Scientific overview

43 Herculis is a red giant in the constellation Hercules (Herculis), lying about 354.1 light-years from Earth.

Class K. Cooler orange stars. Long-lived and abundant; many are stable hosts for planets. Such stars have surface temperatures around 3,700–5,200 K and appear orange to the eye.

Physical properties

Spectral typeK5III
Luminosity classIII
Apparent magnitude5.15
Absolute magnitude-0.03
Luminosity (Sun = 1)89.454
Colour index (B−V)1.535
Distance354.1 ly (108.58 pc)

Values are real catalogue data; fields without a reliable value are omitted, never estimated.

Precision measurements

Astrometry and astrophysics from SIMBAD and Gaia DR3 · Gaia DR3 4445259407258903168

Parallax7.6142 ± 0.0988 masSIMBAD · measured
Distance130.9 pcGaia · estimated
Proper motion (RA)-1.776 mas/yrSIMBAD · measured
Proper motion (Dec)13.985 mas/yrSIMBAD · measured
Radial velocity-21.29 ± 0.19 km/sSIMBAD · measured
Spectral typeK5IIISIMBAD · catalogued
Right ascension (ICRS)251.5 degSIMBAD · measured
Declination (ICRS)8.5826 degSIMBAD · measured
Full field-level provenance
  • Parallax: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · plx_value · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Distance: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia EDR3 · Bailer-Jones (2021) · external.gaiaedr3_distance · r_med_geo · row 4445259407258903168 · Bayesian estimate · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Proper motion (RA): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Proper motion (Dec): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmdec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2018yCat.1345....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Spectral type: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · sp_type · 1952ApJ...116..122R · catalogue identifier/value · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11

measured = direct catalogue value · estimated = Bayesian inference (Bailer-Jones distance) · modeled = model output (Gaia GSP-Phot). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.

Evolution

A red giant is an evolved star that has exhausted core hydrogen and expanded enormously, cooling at its surface as it fuses heavier elements in shells.

Location in the sky

Constellation
Hercules
Hemisphere
Both (equatorial)
Best seen
Summer (N. evening sky)
RA / Dec
16.7639h / 8.5826°

Knowledge connections

  • In constellationHercules

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • HYG DatabaseHYG Database (Hipparcos + Yale Bright Star + Gliese), by D. Nash / astronexus

    Aggregated, openly-licensed star catalogue combining Hipparcos, the Yale Bright Star Catalogue, and the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.

  • HipparcosESA Hipparcos space astrometry mission

    High-precision parallax, magnitude, and position for ~118,000 stars.