HD 34255

HD 34255, also known HR 1720, is a star located in the northern circumpolar constellation Camelopardalis, the giraffe. It has an apparent magnitude of 5.60, allowing it to be faintly visible to the naked eye. The object is located relatively far at a distance of about 1.65 kly but is approaching the Solar System with a heliocentric radial velocity of $$.

This is a solitary, evolved red supergiant with a stellar classification of K4 I. It has 6.9 times the mass of the Sun and is said to be 46 million years old. Despite the young age, it has already ceased hydrogen fusion at its core and now has an enlarged radius of. HD 34255 radiates a bolometric luminosity over 6,000 times that of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of $$, giving it an orange glow. The star's metallicity – what astronomers dub as elements heavier than helium – is around solar level.