Canopus - α Carinae (alpha Carinae)

Canopus, also designated as α Carinae (alpha Carinae), is a hypergiant star in the constellation of Carina.

Canopus visual magnitude is -0.72, making it the third brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Canopus 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 Canopus:

Color of Canopus ⬤

Magnitude of Canopus -0.72

Class Hypergiant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW Canopus - α Carinae (alpha Carinae) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Canopus

Canopus 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 Canopus are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 06h 23m 57s

Declination J2000 -52° 41’ 44”

Galactic Longitude 261.21°

Galactic Latitude -25.29°

Constellation Carina

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

Finder chart Canopus - α Carinae (alpha Carinae) star

Simplified finder chart for Canopus - α Carinae (alpha Carinae).

Visibility of Canopus from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

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

Digitized Sky Survey image of Canopus

The image below is a photograph of Canopus 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 Canopus is 0.022 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.021 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Canopus - α Carinae (alpha Carinae) star

DSS2 image of Canopus. The red arrow shows the motion of Canopus during the next 10000 years (3.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and 3.50 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Canopus from the Sun and relative movement

Canopus is distant 312.56 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 21 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 95.88 pc

Distance (light year) 312.56 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 21 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.022 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec 0.021 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Canopus

Canopus belongs to spectral class F0 and has a luminosity class of II corresponding to a hypergiant star.

Absolute magnitude -5.63

Spectral Type F0II

Color Index (B-V) 0.15

Temperature of Canopus 8571K

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

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

Alternative designations of Canopus

Proper Name Canopus

Bayer designation α Carinae
(alpha Carinae)

Henry Draper Catalogue HD45348

SAO Catalogue SAO234480

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP30438

Durchmusterung Catalogue CP-52 914

FK5 Catalogue 245

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In Evidence

Other stars in Carina