ν Persei (nu Persei)

ν Persei is a variable and double bright giant star in the constellation of Perseus.

ν Persei visual magnitude is 3.77. Because of its moderate brightness, ν Persei 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 ν Persei:

Color of ν Persei ⬤

Magnitude of ν Persei 3.77

Class Bright giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW ν Persei (nu Persei) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. Altitude: 6°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ν Persei

ν Persei is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of ν Persei are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 03h 45m 11s

Declination J2000 +42° 34’ 42”

Galactic Longitude 153.83°

Galactic Latitude -9.63°

Constellation Perseus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of ν Persei in the sky:

Simplified finder chart for ν Persei (nu Persei).

Visibility of ν Persei from your location

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

ν Persei (nu Persei) is circumpolar and transits at 15:37 UTC (altitude: 81.1°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of ν Persei

The image below is a photograph of ν Persei 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 ν Persei is -0.014 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.002 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of ν Persei. The red arrow shows the motion of ν Persei during the next 10000 years (-2.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -0.33 arcmin in declination);

Distance of ν Persei from the Sun and relative movement

ν Persei is distant 556.31 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 13 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 170.65 pc

Distance (light year) 556.31 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -13 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.014 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.002 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of ν Persei

ν Persei belongs to spectral class F5 and has a luminosity class of II corresponding to a bright giant star.

Absolute magnitude -2.39

Spectral Type F5II

Color Index (B-V) 0.42

Temperature of ν Persei 6776K

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

H-R diagram showing the position of ν Persei. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

ν Persei star system properties

ν Persei 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 ν Persei double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 3.77

Secondary star magnitude 11.87

Magnitude difference 8.1

Separation 31.4 arcsec

Alternative designations of ν Persei

Bayer designation ν Persei
(nu Persei)

Flamsteed designation 41 Persei

Henry Draper Catalogue HD23230

SAO Catalogue SAO39078

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP17529

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+42 815

FK5 Catalogue 134

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 1261

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS2738

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