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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: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations » Cancer » 

Acubens - α Cancri (alpha Cancri)

Altitude: 16.4°   Azimuth: 268.5°   Direction: West

Acubens, also designated as α Cancri (alpha Cancri), is a variable and multiple star in the constellation of Cancer.

Acubens visual magnitude is 4.25. Because of its moderate brightness, Acubens should be easily visible from locations with dark skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of Acubens is 0.034 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.031 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Acubens - α Cancri (alpha Cancri) star
DSS2 image of Acubens. The red arrow shows the motion of Acubens during the next 10000 years (5.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and -5.17 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about Acubens

4.25

Acubens - α Cancri (alpha Cancri) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 16.4°
Azimuth: 268.5°
Direction: West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Acubens

Acubens is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of Acubens are provided in the following table:

08h 58m 29s
+11° 51’ 28”
216.51°
33.52°
Cancer

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Acubens in the sky:

Finder chart Acubens - α Cancri (alpha Cancri) star
Simplified finder chart for Acubens - α Cancri (alpha Cancri).

Visibility of Acubens from your location

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

Today's Acubens - α Cancri (alpha Cancri) 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: 78.1°
Max altitude: 50.4°
Azimuth: 281.9°

Distance of Acubens from the Sun and relative movement

Acubens is distant 173.50 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 14 kilometers per second.

53.22 pc
173.50 ly
-14 km/s
0.034 arcsec/year
-0.031 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Acubens

Acubens belongs to spectral class A5

0.62
A5
8658K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where Acubens is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of Acubens. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of Acubens

Acubens
α Cancri
(alpha Cancri)
SAO98267
SAO98267