Yellow-white main-sequence star · Coma Berenices
α Comae Berenices
Also known as: α Com
mag 5.247 light-years
About
α Comae Berenices is a yellow-white main-sequence star of magnitude 5.2 in Coma Berenices, about 47 light-years away.
How to find it
- α Comae Berenices is in the constellation Coma Berenices.
- Best evenings: around late May 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 62° 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 | α Comae Berenices (α Com) |
|---|---|
| Type | Yellow-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | F5 V |
| Magnitude | 5.2The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 47 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1979. |
| Proper motion | 0.45″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 09m 59.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 31′ 44″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →