Yellow-white main-sequence star · Cancer
χ Cancri
Also known as: χ Cnc, HIP 40843
mag 5.160 light-years
About
χ Cancri is a yellow-white main-sequence star of magnitude 5.1 in Cancer, about 60 light-years away.
How to find it
- χ Cancri is in the constellation Cancer.
- Best evenings: around mid-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 53° 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
- EyesNeeds a dark sky away from city lights.
- 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
| Designation | χ Cancri (χ Cnc) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 40843 |
| Type | Yellow-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | F6V |
| Colour | YellowB−V colour index 0.49 |
| Magnitude | 5.1The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 60 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1966. |
| Proper motion | 0.38″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 08h 20m 03.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 13′ 04″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →