Canopus
Also known as α Car · HR 2326
Canopus is a star in the constellation Carina, about 310 light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Star (spectral type A9II) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Carina |
| Position (J2000) | 6h 23m 57s, −52° 41′ |
| Distance | 310 light-years (its light set off about 310 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude -0.74 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Studied in | 461 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Canopus is highest in the sky at midnight in December. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 17° above the horizon; from 50° N it never rises. To see it you need the naked eye, even from a town.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Carina
- Bullet Cluster
- Carina Nebula
- Eta Carinae
- Homunculus Nebula
- Statue of Liberty Nebula
- Toby Jug Nebula (IC 2220)
- Westerlund 2
- Wishing Well Cluster (NGC 3532)
Everything in Carina · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · Data sources & credits