Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate now! You'll help cover server costs, enhance the site and keep it ad-free.
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:48  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:05 south
wb_twilight Nautical TwilightWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Pyxis » 

β Pyxidis (beta Pyxidis)

β Pyxidis is a double supergiant star in the constellation of Pyxis.

β Pyxidis visual magnitude is 3.97. Because of its moderate brightness, β Pyxidis 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 β Pyxidis:

3.97
Supergiant
β Pyxidis (beta Pyxidis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of β Pyxidis

β Pyxidis 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 β Pyxidis are provided in the following table:

08h 40m 06s
-35° 18’ 29”
256.24°
3.9°
Pyxis

The simplified sky map below shows the position of β Pyxidis in the sky:

Finder chart β Pyxidis (beta Pyxidis) star
Simplified finder chart for β Pyxidis (beta Pyxidis).

Visibility of β Pyxidis 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 β Pyxidis (beta Pyxidis) 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: 125.3°
Max altitude: 3.2°
Azimuth: 234.7°
β Pyxidis (beta Pyxidis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of β Pyxidis

The image below is a photograph of β Pyxidis 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 β Pyxidis is 0.012 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.022 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of β Pyxidis (beta Pyxidis) star
DSS2 image of β Pyxidis. The red arrow shows the motion of β Pyxidis during the next 10000 years (2.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.67 arcmin in declination);

Distance of β Pyxidis from the Sun and relative movement

β Pyxidis is distant 388.10 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 13 kilometers per second.

119.05 pc
388.10 ly
-13 km/s
0.012 arcsec/year
-0.022 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of β Pyxidis

β Pyxidis belongs to spectral class G7 and has a luminosity class of I corresponding to a supergiant star.

-1.41
G7I
4892K

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

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

β Pyxidis star system properties

β Pyxidis 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 β Pyxidis double sysyem:

3.97
12.47
8.5
12.6 arcsec

Alternative designations of β Pyxidis

β Pyxidis
(beta Pyxidis)
SAO199490
SAO199490