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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 5:39  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 20:14
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » 

Coma Berenices (The Berenice's Hair) Constellation

Altitude: -3.4°   Azimuth: 314.5°   Direction: North-West

Coma Berenices (pronounced ˈkoʊmə bɛrəˈnaɪsiːz) is the Latin name of a constellation situated close to the celestial equator. As such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year.

In English language this constellation is also known as "The Berenice's hair" while in astronomical texts and literature this constellation is often abbreviated as "Com" (according to the standard of the International Astronomical Union - IAU) or as "Coma" (according to a naming convention used by NASA).

The Latin genitive of the constellation name is "Comae Berenices" (pronounced ˈkoʊmiː bɛrəˈnaɪsiːz) and it is used to identify some of the brightest stars in this constellation based on the Bayer or Flamsteed star naming convention. For instance: α Comae Berenices (the brightest star of Coma Berenices based on the Bayer catalog); or 23 Comae Berenices (the 23th star in the constellation of Coma Berenices based on the Flamsteed catalog).

Coma Berenices is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
Available Resources for Coma Berenices

Sky Chart of Coma Berenices Constellation

Here we provide a simplified sky chart of the Coma Berenices constellation. Alternatively it is possible to locate Coma Berenices in the night sky using our Online Interactive Planetarium.

Chart of  constellation
This constellation image is derivatve work based on original work by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) CC-BY-3.0.

Visibility of Coma Berenices Constellation

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's Coma Berenices rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 67.1°
Max altitude: 61.4°
Azimuth: 292.9°
Coma Berenices is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

The rise and set times provided here are just directional indications and they refer to a point approximately placed at the center of the constellation. In case of very large constellations these times can have little relevance.

Bright Stars in Coma Berenices Constellation

The table below lists the top 20 brightest stars in the Coma Berenices constellation. See also the complete list of 70 stars brighter than magnitude 6.5 (approximate) in the constellation of Coma Berenices. Click on each star to see more details about it.

HR Number(*) Star designation Proper name Visual magnitude Color Notes
HR4983 β Comae Berenices 4.26 Double;
HR4737 γ Comae Berenices 4.36
HR4697 11 Comae Berenices 4.74 Double;
HR4920 36 Comae Berenices 4.78 Variable;
HR4954 41 Comae Berenices 4.8
HR4707 12 Comae Berenices 4.81 Variable; Multiple;
HR4789 23 Comae Berenices 4.81 Double;
HR4894 35 Comae Berenices 4.9 Multiple;
HR4924 37 Comae Berenices 4.9 Variable; Double;
HR4883 31 Comae Berenices 4.94 Variable;
HR4733 14 Comae Berenices 4.95
HR4667 7 Comae Berenices 4.95
HR4668 5 Variable;
HR4738 16 Comae Berenices 5
HR4792 24 Comae Berenices 5.02 Variable; Double;
HR4663 6 Comae Berenices 5.1
HR4851 27 Comae Berenices 5.12
HR4717 13 Comae Berenices 5.18 Variable;
HR4969 α Comae Berenices 5.22 Variable; Multiple;
HR4968 α Comae Berenices Diadem 5.22 Variable; Multiple;
...go to the complete list of 70 bright stars in the constellation of Coma Berenices

(*) HR stands for Harvard Revised Bright Star Catalogue, which is also known as the Yale Catalogue of Bright Stars.

Deep Sky Objects in Coma Berenices Constellation

The table below lists the 20 brightest deep sky objects in the Coma Berenices constellation. See also the complete list of 1019 deep sky objects in the constellation of Coma Berenices. The list includes objects from the Messier, New General Catalogue (NGC) and Index Catalogue (IC).

Name Type Magnitude
Messier 53 Globular Cluster 7.79 (V)
Messier 64 (Black Eye Galaxy) Galaxy 8.52 (V)
Messier 85 Galaxy 9.05 (V)
Messier 100 (The Mirror of M99) Galaxy 9.35 (V)
NGC 4494 Galaxy 9.74 (V)
Messier 99 (Coma Pinwheel) Galaxy 9.87 (V)
NGC 5053 Globular Cluster 9.96 (V)
NGC 4559 Galaxy 10.01 (V)
NGC 4450 Galaxy 10.08 (V)
NGC 4414 Galaxy 10.12 (V)
Messier 98 Galaxy 10.14 (V)
NGC 4278 Galaxy 10.16 (V)
NGC 4473 Galaxy 10.2 (V)
NGC 4274 Galaxy 10.41 (V)
NGC 4477 Galaxy 10.42 (V)
NGC 4314 Galaxy 10.58 (V)
NGC 4147 Globular Cluster 10.74 (V)
NGC 4651 (Umbrella Galaxy) Galaxy 10.92 (V)
NGC 4350 Galaxy 11.08 (V)
NGC 4419 Galaxy 11.16 (V)
...go to the complete list of 1019 deep sky objects in the constellation of Coma Berenices