Beta Hydri

Beta Hydri

Factual

24.4 light years from Sol, this G2 star is considered a subgiant (category IV), at 1.1 solar masses. From Earth, it is the nearest conspicuous star to the South Pole, although at 12 degrees away it is hardly a pole star. It is about 6.7 billion years old, and probably started out as an F-type star, now evolving off the main sequence (as our own sun will do in a few billion years). Any planet which might have developed life early in the star's history will likely be too hot now for it to survive, but a cooler planet (like Mars, say) could be comfortable now, so not out of the question for 65-million-year-old terraformers.

Fictional

(tentative, awaiting publication)

Beta Hydri is the primary star of Pallas and the Raven. The former, Pallas, is a subneptune orbited by, among others, the unusually large moon called Raven. The captain of the Lenore, who named them, was an Edgar Allan Poe fan. Raven is between Earth and Mars in size, and has been terraformed. It is not tidally locked with Pallas, although the reasons why not are unclear. The Terraformers may be responsible.

The main spaceport and settlement is in the northern temperate band of the planet, but the dry tropics show archeological evidence of an old civilization. A major geological feature of this area is the Rift, a huge and somewhat chaotic valley system bigger than Earth's Grand Canyon but smaller than Mars' Valles Marineris. This is known as Raven's Rift.

Nearby Stars

Interesting stars within 10 ly include the following:

Star		Type		Dist. ly
Zeta Tucanae 	F8-G0 V 	6.7
Delta Pavonis 	G5-8 V-IV 	9.3
p Eridani AB 	K0-2 V/K3-5 V 	10.0