Orange giant · Columba
Wazn
Also known as: β Columbae (β Col), HIP 27628
mag 3.187 light-years
About
Wazn (β Columbae) is an orange giant of magnitude 3.1 in Columba, about 87 light-years away.
How to find it
- Wazn is in the constellation Columba.
- Best evenings: around early 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 south of 44° 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
- 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 | Wazn |
|---|---|
| Designation | β Columbae (β Col) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 27628 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K1.5III |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.15 |
| Magnitude | 3.1The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 87 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1939. |
| Proper motion | 0.41″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Columba |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 05h 50m 57.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −35° 46′ 06″ |
More in Columba
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →