Tags: Star.
HIP 13044 is a red horizontal-branch star about 2300 light years (700 pc) away from the Earth in the constellation Fornax. The star is part of the Helmi stream a former dwarf galaxy that merged with the Milky Way between six and nine billion years ago. As a result HIP 13044 circles the galactic center at a highly irregular orbit with respect to the galactic plane. HIP 13044 is slightly less massive than the Sun but is approximately seven times its size.