Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:49  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:04 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Gemini » 

Mekbuda - ζ Geminorum (zeta Geminorum)

Mekbuda, also designated as ζ Geminorum (zeta Geminorum), is a variable and multiple supergiant star in the constellation of Gemini.

Mekbuda visual magnitude is 3.79. Because of its moderate brightness, Mekbuda should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about Mekbuda:

3.79
Supergiant
Mekbuda - ζ Geminorum (zeta Geminorum) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt. Altitude: 31°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Mekbuda

Mekbuda 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 Mekbuda are provided in the following table:

07h 04m 06s
+20° 34’ 13”
195.75°
11.9°
Gemini

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Mekbuda in the sky:

Finder chart Mekbuda - ζ Geminorum (zeta Geminorum) star
Simplified finder chart for Mekbuda - ζ Geminorum (zeta Geminorum).

Visibility of Mekbuda 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 Mekbuda - ζ Geminorum (zeta Geminorum) 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: 69.4°
Max altitude: 59.1°
Azimuth: 290.6°
Mekbuda - ζ Geminorum (zeta Geminorum) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of Mekbuda

The image below is a photograph of Mekbuda 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 Mekbuda is -0.009 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Mekbuda - ζ Geminorum (zeta Geminorum) star
DSS2 image of Mekbuda. The red arrow shows the motion of Mekbuda during the next 100000 years (-15.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and 0.00 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Mekbuda from the Sun and relative movement

Mekbuda is distant 1,168.46 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 7 kilometers per second.

358.42 pc
1,168.46 ly
7 km/s
-0.009 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Mekbuda

Mekbuda belongs to spectral class F7 and has a luminosity class of I corresponding to a supergiant star.

-3.98
F7I
5311K

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

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

Alternative designations of Mekbuda

Mekbuda
ζ Geminorum
(zeta Geminorum)
43 Geminorum
SAO79031
SAO79031