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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
north SunriseRise: 7:54  
clear_day Transit: 11:51  
SunsetSet: 15:49 south
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All Constellations » Eridanus » 

π Eridani (pi Eridani)

Altitude: -50.5°   Azimuth: 354.6°   Direction: North

π Eridani is a variable giant star in the constellation of Eridanus.

π Eridani visual magnitude is 4.42. Because of its moderate brightness, π Eridani 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 π Eridani:

4.42
Giant

π Eridani (pi Eridani) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -50.5°
Azimuth: 354.6°
Direction: North

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of π Eridani

π Eridani 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 π Eridani are provided in the following table:

03h 46m 08s
-12° 06’ 06”
201.55°
-46.47°
Eridanus

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

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

Visibility of π Eridani 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 π Eridani (pi Eridani) 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: 102.1°
Max altitude: 26.4°
Azimuth: 257.9°

Digitized Sky Survey image of π Eridani

The image below is a photograph of π Eridani 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 π Eridani is 0.048 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.058 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of π Eridani (pi Eridani) star
DSS2 image of π Eridani. The red arrow shows the motion of π Eridani during the next 10000 years (8.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and 9.67 arcmin in declination);

Distance of π Eridani from the Sun and relative movement

π Eridani is distant 496.95 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 46 kilometers per second.

152.44 pc
496.95 ly
46 km/s
0.048 arcsec/year
0.058 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of π Eridani

π Eridani belongs to spectral class M2 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-1.50
M2III
3608K

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

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

Alternative designations of π Eridani

π Eridani
(pi Eridani)
SAO149158
SAO149158