Blue-white subgiant · Pavo
Peacock
Also known as: α Pavonis (α Pav), HIP 100751
mag 1.9180 light-years
About
Peacock (α Pavonis) is a blue-white subgiant of magnitude 1.9 in Pavo, about 180 light-years away.
How to find it
- Peacock is in the constellation Pavo.
- Best evenings: around mid-September 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 south of 23° N.
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. It looks blue-white.
- 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 | Peacock |
|---|---|
| Designation | α Pavonis (α Pav) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 100751 |
| Type | Blue-white subgiant |
| Spectral type | B2IV |
| Colour | Blue-whiteB−V colour index −0.12 |
| Magnitude | 1.9The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 180 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1850. |
| Proper motion | 0.087″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Pavo |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 25m 38.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −56° 44′ 06″ |
More in Pavo
NGC 6752Globular clustermag 5.4
NGC 6744Galaxymag 9.1
NGC 6872Condor GalaxyGalaxy · mag 11.6
NGC 6776PentagonGalaxy · mag 12.1Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →