Your guide to the Solar System and the night sky
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🌎  Observing from: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
🌅 Sunrise: 5:52  ☀️ Transit: 12:04  🌅 Sunset: 18:18

σ Puppis (sigma Puppis)

σ Puppis is a double giant star in the constellation of Puppis.

σ Puppis visual magnitude is 3.25. Because of its moderate brightness, σ Puppis 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 σ Puppis:

3.25
Giant
σ Puppis (sigma Puppis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of σ Puppis

σ Puppis is situated south of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the southern emisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of σ Puppis are provided in the following table:

07h 29m 13s
-43° 18’ 05”
255.74°
-11.91°
Puppis

The simplified sky map below shows the position of σ Puppis in the sky:

Finder chart σ Puppis (sigma Puppis) star
Simplified finder chart for σ Puppis (sigma Puppis).

Visibility of σ Puppis from your location

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

σ Puppis (sigma Puppis) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]

Digitized Sky Survey image of σ Puppis

The image below is a photograph of σ Puppis 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 σ Puppis is -0.055 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.187 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of σ Puppis (sigma Puppis) star
DSS2 image of σ Puppis. The red arrow shows the motion of σ Puppis during the next 1000 years (-0.92 arcmin in Right Ascension and 3.12 arcmin in declination);

Distance of σ Puppis from the Sun and relative movement

σ Puppis is distant 183.77 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 88 kilometers per second.

56.37 pc
183.77 ly
88 km/s
-0.055 arcsec/year
0.187 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of σ Puppis

σ Puppis belongs to spectral class K5 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-0.51
K5III
3779K

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

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

σ Puppis star system properties

σ Puppis is a visual double star which can be observed with the help of small or medium telescopes. The table below shows key information about the σ Puppis double sysyem:

3.25
8.55
5.3
22.3 arcsec

Alternative designations of σ Puppis

σ Puppis
(sigma Puppis)
SAO218755
SAO218755