Blue-white subgiant · Columba
Phact
Also known as: α Columbae (α Col), HIP 26634
mag 2.7260 light-years
About
Phact (α Columbae) is a blue-white subgiant of magnitude 2.7 in Columba, about 260 light-years away.
How to find it
- Phact is in the constellation Columba.
- Best evenings: around late January 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 46° 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.
- 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 | Phact |
|---|---|
| Designation | α Columbae (α Col) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 26634 |
| Type | Blue-white subgiant |
| Spectral type | B7IV |
| Colour | Blue-whiteB−V colour index −0.12 |
| Magnitude | 2.7The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 260 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1770. |
| Proper motion | 0.024″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Columba |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 05h 39m 39.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −34° 04′ 27″ |
More in Columba
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →