α Muscae (alpha Muscae)

α Muscae is a variable and double sub-giant star in the constellation of Musca.

α Muscae visual magnitude is 2.69. Thanks to its high brightness, α Muscae is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The table below summarizes the key facts about α Muscae:

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of α Muscae

α Muscae 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 Muscae are provided in the following table:

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

Visibility of α Muscae from your location

α Muscae (alpha Muscae) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]

Digitized Sky Survey image of α Muscae

The image below is a photograph of α Muscae 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 Muscae is -0.048 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.013 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Distance of α Muscae from the Sun and relative movement

α Muscae is distant 305.53 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 13 kilometers per second.

Spectral properties of α Muscae

α Muscae belongs to spectral class B2 and has a luminosity class of IV corresponding to a sub-giant star.

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

α Muscae star system properties

α Muscae is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the α Muscae double sysyem:

Alternative designations of α Muscae