About the Star Beta Gruis is a red giant of the spectral type M5 III. It has a visual magnitude of 2.146 and is 177 light years distant from the Sun. It is the second brightest star in Grus.
The star is classified as a semi-regular variable as its luminosity varies in magnitude by about 0.4 over a period of 37 days or longer.
Beta Gruis is one of the stars that used to form the tail of the Southern Fish, and before it became part of the Grus constellation, it was the rear star in the tail of the constellation Piscis Austrinus.
The star has 2.4 times the Sun's mass and 180 times the solar radius. It is approximately 1,500 times more luminous than the Sun.
Grus Myth There are no myths associated with the constellation. Grus was one of the 12 constellations created by Dutch explorers in the late 16th century. The only connection the crane has with mythology lies in the fact that it was a sacred bird to the god Hermes.
The constellation was created from stars located to the south of the constellation Piscis Austrinus. The brightest star in Grus is called Alnair, which means "the bright one from the fish's tail" in Arabic. Similarly, the proper name of Gamma Gruis, Al Dhanab, also means "the tail" in Arabic.