α Microscopii (alpha Microscopii)

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:

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 emisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of α Microscopii are provided in the following table:

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

Visibility of α Microscopii from your location

Today's α Microscopii (alpha Microscopii) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

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.

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.

Spectral properties of α Microscopii

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

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

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:

Alternative designations of α Microscopii