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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: 5:44  
clear_day Transit: 12:03  
SunsetSet: 18:24
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All Constellations » Mensa » 

γ Mensae (gamma Mensae)

Altitude: -43.2°   Azimuth: 163.9°   Direction: South-South-East

γ Mensae is a double giant star in the constellation of Mensa.

γ Mensae visual magnitude is 5.19. Because of its reltive faintness, γ Mensae should be visible only from locations with dark skies, while it is not visible at all from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of γ Mensae is 0.111 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.283 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of γ Mensae (gamma Mensae) star
DSS2 image of γ Mensae. The red arrow shows the motion of γ Mensae during the next 1000 years (1.85 arcmin in Right Ascension and 4.72 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about γ Mensae

5.19
Giant

γ Mensae (gamma Mensae) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -43.2°
Azimuth: 163.9°
Direction: South-South-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of γ Mensae

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

05h 31m 52s
-76° 20’ 27”
287.93°
-30.97°
Mensa

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

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

Visibility of γ Mensae from your location

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

γ Mensae (gamma Mensae) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt

Distance of γ Mensae from the Sun and relative movement

γ Mensae is distant 100.52 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 57 kilometers per second.

30.84 pc
100.52 ly
57 km/s
0.111 arcsec/year
0.283 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of γ Mensae

γ Mensae belongs to spectral class K2 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

2.74
K2III
4451K

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

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

γ Mensae star system properties

γ Mensae 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 Mensae double sysyem:

5.19
11.19
6
38.2 arcsec

Alternative designations of γ Mensae

γ Mensae
(gamma Mensae)
SAO256201
SAO256201