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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: 7:40  
clear_day Transit: 11:47  
SunsetSet: 15:53 south
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All Constellations » Auriga » 

ξ Aurigae (xi Aurigae)

Altitude: 55.9°   Azimuth: 59.3°   Direction: East-North-East

ξ Aurigae is a main-sequence star in the constellation of Auriga.

ξ Aurigae visual magnitude is 4.99. Because of its moderate brightness, ξ Aurigae 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 ξ Aurigae:

4.99
Main-sequence

ξ Aurigae (xi Aurigae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 55.9°
Azimuth: 59.3°
Direction: East-North-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ξ Aurigae

ξ 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 ξ Aurigae are provided in the following table:

05h 54m 50s
+55° 42’ 24”
157.33°
14.72°
Auriga

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

Finder chart ξ Aurigae (xi Aurigae) star
Simplified finder chart for ξ Aurigae (xi Aurigae).

Visibility of ξ Aurigae from your location

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

ξ Aurigae (xi Aurigae) is circumpolar and transits at 01:20 UTC (altitude: 85.8°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of ξ Aurigae

The image below is a photograph of ξ Aurigae 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 ξ Aurigae is -0.013 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.02 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of ξ Aurigae (xi Aurigae) star
DSS2 image of ξ Aurigae. The red arrow shows the motion of ξ Aurigae during the next 10000 years (-2.17 arcmin in Right Ascension and 3.33 arcmin in declination);

Distance of ξ Aurigae from the Sun and relative movement

ξ Aurigae is distant 240.77 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 12 kilometers per second.

73.86 pc
240.77 ly
-12 km/s
-0.013 arcsec/year
0.02 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of ξ Aurigae

ξ Aurigae belongs to spectral class A2 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.

0.65
A2V
9542K

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

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

Alternative designations of ξ Aurigae

ξ Aurigae
(xi Aurigae)
SAO25450
SAO25450