White giant · Cancer
ο¹ Cancri
Also known as: ο¹ Cnc, HIP 43970
mag 5.2150 light-years
About
ο¹ Cancri is a white giant of magnitude 5.2 in Cancer, about 150 light-years away.
How to find it
- ο¹ Cancri is in the constellation Cancer.
- Best evenings: around late 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 65° 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 | ο¹ Cancri (ο¹ Cnc) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 43970 |
| Type | White giant |
| Spectral type | A5III |
| Colour | Yellowish whiteB−V colour index 0.15 |
| Magnitude | 5.2The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 150 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1880. |
| Proper motion | 0.064″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Cancer |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 08h 57m 15.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +15° 19′ 22″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →