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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: 7:38  
clear_day Transit: 11:46  
SunsetSet: 15:54 south
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All Constellations » Cassiopeia » 

γ Cassiopeiae (gamma Cassiopeiae)

Altitude: 44.2°   Azimuth: 317.1°   Direction: North-West

γ Cassiopeiae is a variable and multiple hypergiant star in the constellation of Cassiopeia.

γ Cassiopeiae visual magnitude is 2.47. Thanks to its high brightness, γ Cassiopeiae 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 γ Cassiopeiae:

2.47
Hypergiant

γ Cassiopeiae (gamma Cassiopeiae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 44.2°
Azimuth: 317.1°
Direction: North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of γ Cassiopeiae

γ Cassiopeiae is situated close to the northern celestial pole and, as such, it is visible for most part of the year from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of γ Cassiopeiae are provided in the following table:

00h 56m 42s
+60° 43’ 00”
123.58°
-2.15°
Cassiopeia

The simplified sky map below shows the position of γ Cassiopeiae in the sky:

Finder chart γ Cassiopeiae (gamma Cassiopeiae) star
Simplified finder chart for γ Cassiopeiae (gamma Cassiopeiae).

Visibility of γ Cassiopeiae from your location

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

γ Cassiopeiae (gamma Cassiopeiae) is circumpolar and transits at 20:22 UTC (altitude: 80.8°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of γ Cassiopeiae

The image below is a photograph of γ Cassiopeiae 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 γ Cassiopeiae is 0.026 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.005 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of γ Cassiopeiae (gamma Cassiopeiae) star
DSS2 image of γ Cassiopeiae. The red arrow shows the motion of γ Cassiopeiae during the next 10000 years (4.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -0.83 arcmin in declination);

Distance of γ Cassiopeiae from the Sun and relative movement

γ Cassiopeiae is distant 612.78 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 7 kilometers per second.

187.97 pc
612.78 ly
-7 km/s
0.026 arcsec/year
-0.005 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of γ Cassiopeiae

γ Cassiopeiae belongs to spectral class B0 and has a luminosity class of IV corresponding to a hypergiant star.

-3.90
B0IV
12489K

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

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

γ Cassiopeiae star system properties

γ Cassiopeiae 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 γ Cassiopeiae double sysyem:

2.47
8.77
6.3
2.3 arcsec

Alternative designations of γ Cassiopeiae

γ Cassiopeiae
(gamma Cassiopeiae)
27 Cassiopeiae
SAO11482
SAO11482