Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:50  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:02 south
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All Constellations » Gemini » 

Alzirr - ξ Geminorum (xi Geminorum)

Alzirr, also designated as ξ Geminorum (xi Geminorum), is a variable giant star in the constellation of Gemini.

Alzirr visual magnitude is 3.36. Because of its moderate brightness, Alzirr 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 Alzirr:

3.36
Giant
Alzirr - ξ Geminorum (xi Geminorum) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Alzirr

Alzirr 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 Alzirr are provided in the following table:

06h 45m 17s
+12° 53’ 44”
200.74°
4.5°
Gemini

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

Finder chart Alzirr - ξ Geminorum (xi Geminorum) star
Simplified finder chart for Alzirr - ξ Geminorum (xi Geminorum).

Visibility of Alzirr 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 Alzirr - ξ Geminorum (xi Geminorum) 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: 77.1°
Max altitude: 51.4°
Azimuth: 282.9°
Alzirr - ξ Geminorum (xi Geminorum) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of Alzirr

The image below is a photograph of Alzirr 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 Alzirr is -0.116 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.191 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Alzirr - ξ Geminorum (xi Geminorum) star
DSS2 image of Alzirr. The red arrow shows the motion of Alzirr during the next 1000 years (-1.93 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.18 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Alzirr from the Sun and relative movement

Alzirr is distant 57.17 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 25 kilometers per second.

17.54 pc
57.17 ly
25 km/s
-0.116 arcsec/year
-0.191 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Alzirr

Alzirr belongs to spectral class F5 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

2.14
F5III
6724K

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

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

Alternative designations of Alzirr

Alzirr
ξ Geminorum
(xi Geminorum)
31 Geminorum
SAO96074
SAO96074