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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: 5:53  
clear_day Transit: 12:57  
SunsetSet: 20:02
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Auriga » 

π Aurigae (pi Aurigae)

Altitude: 21.3°   Azimuth: 41.5°   Direction: North-East

π Aurigae is a variable bright giant star in the constellation of Auriga.

π Aurigae visual magnitude is 4.26. Because of its moderate brightness, π Aurigae should be easily visible from locations with dark skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of π Aurigae is 0 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.005 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of π Aurigae (pi Aurigae) star
DSS2 image of π Aurigae. The red arrow shows the motion of π Aurigae during the next 100000 years (0.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -8.33 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about π Aurigae

4.26
Bright giant

π Aurigae (pi Aurigae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 21.3°
Azimuth: 41.5°
Direction: North-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of π Aurigae

π Aurigae 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 π Aurigae are provided in the following table:

05h 59m 56s
+45° 56’ 12”
166.6°
10.94°
Auriga

The simplified sky map below shows the position of π Aurigae in the sky:

Finder chart π Aurigae (pi Aurigae) star
Simplified finder chart for π Aurigae (pi Aurigae).

Visibility of π Aurigae from your location

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

π Aurigae (pi Aurigae) is circumpolar and transits at 16:03 UTC (altitude: 84.5°)

Distance of π Aurigae from the Sun and relative movement

π Aurigae is distant 840.21 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 1 kilometers per second.

257.73 pc
840.21 ly
1 km/s
-0.005 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of π Aurigae

π Aurigae belongs to spectral class M3 and has a luminosity class of II corresponding to a bright giant star.

-2.80
M3II
3490K

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

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

Alternative designations of π Aurigae

π Aurigae
(pi Aurigae)
SAO40756
SAO40756