Grus Constellation

Updated : 05/04/2025

Grus is a constellation that you can see in the southern hemisphere sky, but it depends on your location and time of the year. There are 88 constellations, of which 44 can be found in the southern hemisphere. The light from the Sun prevents the stars from appearing during the day, so you will need specialised equipment to study them. Grus is not a member of the Zodiac group of constellations which are used in astrology to predict peoples immediate futures.

Grus is a Latin word; the English meaning/translation is the crane. Grus's pronunciation is Grus. The genitive form is Gruis, which means any object with Gruis at the end of its name infers a relationship to the constellation. Typically, the thing is within the constellation's boundaries or was once until it (the borders) was redrawn. Grus can be shortened or abbreviated to Gru.

Grus (Constellation) takes up 365.513 sq. degrees of the night sky, equating to 0.89% of the night sky. Grus is the 45th largest constellation in the night sky. Ten Extrasolar Planets in the Grus constellation are detailed on this site. There is a dedicated page for exoplanets in Grus.

Charles Messier didn't catalogue any deep-space objects in the Grus constellation. The following constellations border Grus:-

Grus Stars

Here are a few facts about the stars in the constellation.

Grus has seven stars that make up the constellation's shape.
The Hipparcos satellite scanned and detailed one thousand one hundred and ninety-five stars.
You can see sixty-six stars within the Grus constellation borders with the naked eye on a clear night sky.
Gliese 832 is Grus's nearest star, about 16.16 light-years from the Earth.
Gliese 832 is also the nearest star in the constellation of Grus, with at least one orbiting exoplanet.

Al Nair

Grus's brightest star is Al Nair, about 101.01 light-years from the Sun. The star is recognised as the brightest in the constellation as it has the Bayer status of Alpha. Al Nair has an apparent magnitude of 1.73 but an absolute magnitude of -0.72. The difference between the magnitudes is that absolute magnitude is the object from 10 Parsecs or 32.6 light-years away from the observer, whereas apparent is from Earth.

Other Major Stars

This is a list of other stars that make up part of the constellation but have been detailed above yet. Other visible stars in the constellation can be found Grus Star List page.

Name	Bayer	Spectral Type	Distance	Exoplanets
Alnair	Alpha Gruis	B7IV	101.01
Tiaki	Beta Gruis	M5III	176.97
Aldhanab	Gamma Gruis	B8III	211.11
Delta1 Gruis	Delta1 Gruis	G6/G8III	309.45
Epsilon Gruis	Epsilon Gruis	A3V	128.92
Zeta Gruis	Zeta Gruis	G8III	108.87
Mu1 Gruis	Mu1 Gruis	G8III+...	274.78

Grus Mythology

There is no Greek Legend behind this constellation. It was created by Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman to fill in the voids in the astronomical charts.

Zodiac

Grus is not a member of the Zodiac group of twelve constellations that appear when the Sun sets. The Zodiac constellations are the ones astrologers use to predict a person's future based on their birth date.

Grus Constellation Distance From Earth

You cannot just go to one location and arrive in the Grus constellation, and this is because it is made up of stars at different positions and distances. The nearest main star (Alnair) in the constellation is at a distance of 101.01 light-years, and the furthest main star is Delta1 Gruis, at a distance of 309.45 light-years. The average distance to the major stars is 187.30 light years. Main stars refer to the stars that make up the constellation outline.

Because of the distances of objects, we see how they looked in the past. To know how far back we are looking, take the amount and remove the word "Light", and you will get an idea of how long ago they looked like that. By now, the object may look different.

Grus Constellation Facts

Name	Grus
Abbreviation	Gru
Zodiac Sign	No
Area	365.513 sq. deg.
Night Sky	0.89%
Size Position	45th
Celestial Hemisphere	South
Meteor Shower(s)	1
Nearest Star	Gliese 832
...with Exoplanet(s)	Gliese 832
Brightest Star	Al Nair
Dimmest Star	HD 214953
Furthest Star	HIP 111026
Bright Star Count	66
Hipp. Star Count	1195
Main Star Count	7
Messier D.S.O. Count	0
Lists	Deep Space Objects
	Exoplanets
	Meteor Showers
	Stars
Main Stars	Alnair
	Tiaki
	Aldhanab
	Delta1 Gruis
	Epsilon Gruis
	Zeta Gruis
	Mu1 Gruis

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