HD 50885

HD 50885, also known as HR 2581, is a star located in the northern circumpolar constellation Camelopardalis, the giraffe. It has an apparent magnitude of 5.69, making it faintly visible to the naked eye if viewed under ideal conditions. Based on parallax measurements from Gaia DR3, the object is estimated to be 513 light years distant. It appears to be approaching the Solar System with a heliocentric radial velocity of $$.

This is a solitary, evolved red giant star with a stellar classification of K4 III. It is currently on the red giant branch, fusing a hydrogen shell around an inert helium core. It has 1.32 times the mass of the Sun but has expanded to 30.4 times its girth. It radiates 203 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of $$. HD 50885 has an iron abundance only 102% that of the Sun, placing it at solar metallicity.

There is an optical companion located $$ away along a position angle of 357°. This object was first noticed by Robert S. Ball in 1879