Blue-white main-sequence star · Canis Minor
Gomeisa
Also known as: β Canis Minoris (β CMi), HIP 36188
mag 2.9160 light-years
About
Gomeisa (β Canis Minoris) is a blue-white main-sequence star of magnitude 2.9 in Canis Minor, about 160 light-years away.
How to find it
- Gomeisa is in the constellation Canis Minor.
- Best evenings: around late February it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 72° S.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesEasy, even from town.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Proper name | Gomeisa |
|---|---|
| Designation | β Canis Minoris (β CMi) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 36188 |
| Type | Blue-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | B8Vvar |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.10 |
| Magnitude | 2.9The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 160 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1860. |
| Proper motion | 0.063″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Canis Minor |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 07h 27m 09.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +08° 17′ 21″ |
More in Canis Minor
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →