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: 4:51  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:00 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Orion » 

π6 Orionis (pi6 Orionis)

π6 Orionis is a variable bright giant star in the constellation of Orion.

π6 Orionis visual magnitude is 4.47. Because of its moderate brightness, π6 Orionis 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 π6 Orionis:

4.47
Bright giant
π6 Orionis (pi6 Orionis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt. Altitude: 20°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of π6 Orionis

π6 Orionis 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 π6 Orionis are provided in the following table:

04h 58m 32s
+01° 42’ 51”
197.56°
-24.02°
Orion

The simplified sky map below shows the position of π6 Orionis in the sky:

Finder chart π6 Orionis (pi6 Orionis) star
Simplified finder chart for π6 Orionis (pi6 Orionis).

Visibility of π6 Orionis 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 π6 Orionis (pi6 Orionis) 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: 88.3°
Max altitude: 40.2°
Azimuth: 271.7°
π6 Orionis (pi6 Orionis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of π6 Orionis

The image below is a photograph of π6 Orionis 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 π6 Orionis is -0.002 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.003 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of π6 Orionis (pi6 Orionis) star
DSS2 image of π6 Orionis. The red arrow shows the motion of π6 Orionis during the next 100000 years (-3.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -5.00 arcmin in declination);

Distance of π6 Orionis from the Sun and relative movement

π6 Orionis is distant 953.22 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 14 kilometers per second.

292.40 pc
953.22 ly
14 km/s
-0.002 arcsec/year
-0.003 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of π6 Orionis

π6 Orionis belongs to spectral class K2 and has a luminosity class of II corresponding to a bright giant star.

-2.86
K2II
3950K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where π6 Orionis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of π6 Orionis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of π6 Orionis

π6 Orionis
(pi6 Orionis)
SAO112281
SAO112281