All Constellations » Auriga »

Capella - α Aurigae (alpha Aurigae)

Capella, also designated as α Aurigae (alpha Aurigae), is a variable and multiple giant star in the constellation of Auriga.

Capella visual magnitude is 0.08, making it the 6th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Capella 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 Capella:

Color of Capella ⬤

Magnitude of Capella 0.08

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW Capella - α Aurigae (alpha Aurigae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt. Altitude: 29°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Capella

Capella is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of Capella are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 05h 16m 41s

Declination J2000 +45° 59’ 53”

Galactic Longitude 162.58°

Galactic Latitude 4.57°

Constellation Auriga

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

Finder chart Capella - α Aurigae (alpha Aurigae) star

Simplified finder chart for Capella - α Aurigae (alpha Aurigae).

Visibility of Capella from your location

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

Capella - α Aurigae (alpha Aurigae) is circumpolar and transits at 12:33 UTC (altitude: 84.5°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of Capella

The image below is a photograph of Capella 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 Capella is 0.076 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.425 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Capella - α Aurigae (alpha Aurigae) star

DSS2 image of Capella. The red arrow shows the motion of Capella during the next 1000 years (1.27 arcmin in Right Ascension and -7.08 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Capella from the Sun and relative movement

Capella is distant 42.18 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 30 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 12.94 pc

Distance (light year) 42.18 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 30 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.076 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.425 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Capella

Capella belongs to spectral class G5 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude -0.48

Spectral Type G5III

Color Index (B-V) 0.8

Temperature of Capella 5281K

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

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

Capella star system properties

Capella 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 Capella double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 0.08

Secondary star magnitude 0.58

Magnitude difference 0.5

Separation 0 arcsec

Alternative designations of Capella

Proper Name Capella

Bayer designation α Aurigae
(alpha Aurigae)

Flamsteed designation 13 Aurigae

Henry Draper Catalogue HD34029

SAO Catalogue SAO40186

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP24608

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+45 1077

Gliese Catalogue Gl 194 A

FK5 Catalogue 193

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 1897

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS3841

In Evidence

Other stars in Auriga