Orange giant · Leo Minor
Praecipua
Also known as: 46 Leonis Minoris (46 LMi), HIP 53229
mag 3.895 light-years
About
Praecipua (46 Leonis Minoris) is an orange giant of magnitude 3.8 in Leo Minor, about 95 light-years away.
How to find it
- Praecipua is in the constellation Leo Minor.
- Best evenings: around mid-April 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 46° 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
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- 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 | Praecipua |
|---|---|
| Designation | 46 Leonis Minoris (46 LMi) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 53229 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K0III-IV |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.04 |
| Magnitude | 3.8The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 95 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1931. |
| Proper motion | 0.30″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 53m 18.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +34° 12′ 54″ |
More in Leo Minor
Bright stars:β Leonis Minoris 4.2
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →