Procyon - α Canis Minoris (alpha Canis Minoris)

Procyon, also designated as α Canis Minoris (alpha Canis Minoris), is a variable and multiple sub-giant star in the constellation of Canis Minor.

Procyon visual magnitude is 0.38, making it the 8th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Procyon is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The table below summarizes the key facts about Procyon:

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Procyon

Procyon 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 Procyon are provided in the following table:

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Procyon in the sky:

Visibility of Procyon from your location

Today's Procyon - α Canis Minoris (alpha Canis Minoris) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Digitized Sky Survey image of Procyon

The image below is a photograph of Procyon 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 Procyon is -0.71 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -1.023 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100 years is represented with the red arrow.

Distance of Procyon from the Sun and relative movement

Procyon is distant 11.40 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 3 kilometers per second.

Spectral properties of Procyon

Procyon belongs to spectral class F5 and has a luminosity class of IV corresponding to a sub-giant star.

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

Procyon star system properties

Procyon 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 Procyon double sysyem:

Alternative designations of Procyon