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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
north SunriseRise: 7:52  
clear_day Transit: 11:51  
SunsetSet: 15:49 south
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All Constellations » Microscopium » 

η Microscopii (eta Microscopii)

Altitude: -30.0°   Azimuth: 240.0°   Direction: West-South-West

η Microscopii is a multiple giant star in the constellation of Microscopium.

η Microscopii visual magnitude is 5.53. Because of its reltive faintness, η Microscopii should be visible only from locations with dark skyes, while it is not visible at all from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about η Microscopii:

5.53
Giant

η Microscopii (eta Microscopii) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -30.0°
Azimuth: 240.0°
Direction: West-South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of η Microscopii

η Microscopii 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 η Microscopii are provided in the following table:

21h 06m 25s
-41° 23’ 09”
0.37°
-42.25°
Microscopium

The simplified sky map below shows the position of η Microscopii in the sky:

Finder chart η Microscopii (eta Microscopii) star
Simplified finder chart for η Microscopii (eta Microscopii).

Visibility of η Microscopii from your location

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

η Microscopii (eta Microscopii) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt

Digitized Sky Survey image of η Microscopii

The image below is a photograph of η Microscopii 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 η Microscopii is 0.026 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.016 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of η Microscopii (eta Microscopii) star
DSS2 image of η Microscopii. The red arrow shows the motion of η Microscopii during the next 10000 years (4.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -2.67 arcmin in declination);

Distance of η Microscopii from the Sun and relative movement

η Microscopii is distant 931.43 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 11 kilometers per second.

285.71 pc
931.43 ly
11 km/s
0.026 arcsec/year
-0.016 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of η Microscopii

η Microscopii belongs to spectral class K3 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-1.75
K3III
4034K

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

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

η Microscopii star system properties

η Microscopii is a visual double star which can be observed with binoculars or small telescopes. The table below shows key information about the η Microscopii double sysyem:

5.53
8.33
2.8
132.9 arcsec

Alternative designations of η Microscopii

η Microscopii
(eta Microscopii)
SAO230523
SAO230523