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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
north SunriseRise: 7:48  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Microscopium » 

α Microscopii (alpha Microscopii)

Altitude: 2.3°   Azimuth: 160.7°   Direction: South-South-East

α Microscopii is a variable and double giant star in the constellation of Microscopium.

α Microscopii visual magnitude is 4.9. Because of its moderate brightness, α Microscopii should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about α Microscopii:

4.9
Giant

α Microscopii (alpha Microscopii) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 2.3°
Azimuth: 160.7°
Direction: South-South-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of α Microscopii

α Microscopii is situated south of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the southern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of α Microscopii are provided in the following table:

20h 49m 58s
-33° 46’ 46”
9.88°
-38.26°
Microscopium

The simplified sky map below shows the position of α Microscopii in the sky:

Finder chart α Microscopii (alpha Microscopii) star
Simplified finder chart for α Microscopii (alpha Microscopii).

Visibility of α Microscopii 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 α Microscopii (alpha Microscopii) 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: 123.8°
Max altitude: 4.7°
Azimuth: 236.2°

Digitized Sky Survey image of α Microscopii

The image below is a photograph of α Microscopii from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of α Microscopii is 0.01 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.025 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of α Microscopii (alpha Microscopii) star
DSS2 image of α Microscopii. The red arrow shows the motion of α Microscopii during the next 10000 years (1.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and -4.17 arcmin in declination);

Distance of α Microscopii from the Sun and relative movement

α Microscopii is distant 380.40 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 15 kilometers per second.

116.69 pc
380.40 ly
-15 km/s
0.01 arcsec/year
-0.025 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of α Microscopii

α Microscopii belongs to spectral class G7 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-0.44
G7III
4743K

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

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

α Microscopii star system properties

α Microscopii is a visual double star which can be observed with the help of small or medium telescopes. The table below shows key information about the α Microscopii double sysyem:

4.9
9.9
5
20.5 arcsec

Alternative designations of α Microscopii

α Microscopii
(alpha Microscopii)
SAO212472
SAO212472