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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: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations » Perseus » 

ε Persei (epsilon Persei)

Altitude: 3.0°   Azimuth: 345.6°   Direction: North-North-West

ε Persei is a variable and multiple hypergiant star in the constellation of Perseus.

ε Persei visual magnitude is 2.89. Thanks to its high brightness, ε Persei is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skies, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The proper motion of ε Persei is 0.018 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.026 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of ε Persei (epsilon Persei) star
DSS2 image of ε Persei. The red arrow shows the motion of ε Persei during the next 10000 years (3.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -4.33 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about ε Persei

2.89
Hypergiant

ε Persei (epsilon Persei) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 3.0°
Azimuth: 345.6°
Direction: North-North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ε Persei

ε Persei 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 ε Persei are provided in the following table:

03h 57m 51s
+40° 00’ 37”
157.35°
-10.09°
Perseus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of ε Persei in the sky:

Finder chart ε Persei (epsilon Persei) star
Simplified finder chart for ε Persei (epsilon Persei).

Visibility of ε Persei from your location

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

ε Persei (epsilon Persei) is circumpolar and transits at 16:07 UTC (altitude: 78.5°)

Distance of ε Persei from the Sun and relative movement

ε Persei is distant 537.95 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 1 kilometers per second.

165.02 pc
537.95 ly
1 km/s
0.018 arcsec/year
-0.026 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of ε Persei

ε Persei belongs to spectral class B0 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a hypergiant star.

-3.20
B0V
13121K

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

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

ε Persei star system properties

ε Persei is a visual double star which can be observed with the help of small or medium telescopes. The table below shows key information about the ε Persei double sysyem:

2.89
7.99
5.1
8.8 arcsec

Alternative designations of ε Persei

ε Persei
(epsilon Persei)
SAO56840
SAO56840