Yellow-white subgiant · Canis Minor
Procyon
Also known as: α Canis Minoris (α CMi), HIP 37279
mag 0.411 light-years
About
Procyon (α Canis Minoris) is a yellow-white subgiant of magnitude 0.4 in Canis Minor, about 11 light-years away.
How to find it
- Procyon is in the constellation Canis Minor.
- Best evenings: around early March 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 75° S.
- Star patterns: Winter Triangle, Winter Hexagon.
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
- EyesA first-magnitude star, obvious even from a city.
- Binoculars (10×50)Dazzling, with its colour stronger than to the eye.
- 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 | Procyon |
|---|---|
| Designation | α Canis Minoris (α CMi) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 37279 |
| Type | Yellow-white subgiant |
| Spectral type | F5IV-V |
| Colour | Yellowish whiteB−V colour index 0.43 |
| Magnitude | 0.4The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 11 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 2015. |
| Proper motion | 1.26″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Canis Minor |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 07h 39m 18.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +05° 13′ 30″ |
More in Canis Minor
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →