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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 5:39  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 20:14
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Orion » 

χ2 Orionis (chi2 Orionis)

Altitude: 14.6°   Azimuth: 75.9°   Direction: East-North-East

χ2 Orionis is a variable supergiant star in the constellation of Orion.

χ2 Orionis visual magnitude is 4.63. Because of its moderate brightness, χ2 Orionis should be easily visible from locations with dark skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of χ2 Orionis is 0.002 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.006 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of χ2 Orionis (chi2 Orionis) star
DSS2 image of χ2 Orionis. The red arrow shows the motion of χ2 Orionis during the next 100000 years (3.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -10.00 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about χ2 Orionis

4.63
Supergiant

χ2 Orionis (chi2 Orionis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 14.6°
Azimuth: 75.9°
Direction: East-North-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of χ2 Orionis

χ2 Orionis 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 χ2 Orionis are provided in the following table:

06h 03m 55s
+20° 08’ 17”
189.69°
-0.86°
Orion

The simplified sky map below shows the position of χ2 Orionis in the sky:

Finder chart χ2 Orionis (chi2 Orionis) star
Simplified finder chart for χ2 Orionis (chi2 Orionis).

Visibility of χ2 Orionis 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 χ2 Orionis (chi2 Orionis) 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: 69.9°
Max altitude: 58.7°
Azimuth: 290.1°

Distance of χ2 Orionis from the Sun and relative movement

χ2 Orionis is distant 32,600.00 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 17 kilometers per second.

10,000.00 pc
32,600.00 ly
17 km/s
0.002 arcsec/year
-0.006 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of χ2 Orionis

χ2 Orionis belongs to spectral class B2 and has a luminosity class of I corresponding to a supergiant star.

-10.37
B2I
7591K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where χ2 Orionis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of χ2 Orionis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of χ2 Orionis

χ2 Orionis
(chi2 Orionis)
SAO77911
SAO77911