Yellow-white main-sequence star · Circinus
α Circini
Also known as: α Cir, HIP 71908
mag 3.254 light-years
About
α Circini is a yellow-white main-sequence star of magnitude 3.2 in Circinus, about 54 light-years away.
How to find it
- α Circini is in the constellation Circinus.
- Best evenings: around mid-June 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 15° 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
| Designation | α Circini (α Cir) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 71908 |
| Type | Yellow-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | F1Vp |
| Colour | Yellowish whiteB−V colour index 0.26 |
| Magnitude | 3.2The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 54 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1972. |
| Proper motion | 0.30″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Circinus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 42m 30.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −64° 58′ 30″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →