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public  Greenwich, UK Greenwich, UK  ⓘ
TimezoneEurope/London
Sunrise: 7:17 
Transit: 12:46 
Sunset: 18:15
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All Constellations » Auriga » 

Menkalinan - β Aurigae (beta Aurigae)

Above the horizon.  Circumpolar today
Alt: 78.77°   Az: 239.84°   Direction: West-South-West

Menkalinan, also designated as β Aurigae (beta Aurigae), is a variable and multiple sub-giant star of spectral class A2 in the constellation of Auriga.

Menkalinan visual magnitude is 1.9, making it the 40th brightest star in the sky. Because of its brightness, Menkalinan is clearly visible to the naked eye when observed from locations with dark skies, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

Image of Menkalinan - β Aurigae (beta Aurigae) star
DSS2 image of Menkalinan. The red arrow shows the motion of Menkalinan during the next 10000 years (-9.50 arcmin in Right Ascension and 0.00 arcmin in declination);

Celestial Coordinates

Apparent

06h 01m 20s
+44° 56’ 50”
00h 55m 03s
06h 56m 24s

J2000

05h 59m 31s
+44° 56’ 50”

Galactic Coordinates

167.46°
10.41°

Finder Chart

Finder chart Menkalinan - β Aurigae (beta Aurigae) star
Simplified finder chart for Menkalinan - β Aurigae (beta Aurigae).

Magnitude, Color, Spectral Class

1.9
Sub-giant

-0.10
A2IV
9766K

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

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

Star System Properties

Menkalinan 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 Menkalinan double sysyem:

1.9
10.8
8.9
184.6 arcsec

Distance, Radial Speed, Proper Motion

Menkalinan is distant 82.07 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 18 kilometers per second.

25.18
82.07
-18 km/s
-0.057 arcsec/y

Alternative Designations

Menkalinan
β Aurigae
(beta Aurigae)
SAO40750
SAO40750

Visibility from Your Location

Menkalinan - β Aurigae (beta Aurigae) is circumpolar and transits at 04:44 UTC (altitude: 83.5°)