Blue-white subgiant · Canis Major
κ Canis Majoris
Also known as: κ CMa, HIP 32759
mag 3.5660 light-years
About
κ Canis Majoris is a blue-white subgiant of magnitude 3.5 in Canis Major, about 660 light-years away.
How to find it
- κ Canis Majoris is in the constellation Canis Major.
- Best evenings: around mid-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 47° 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 | κ Canis Majoris (κ CMa) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 32759 |
| Type | Blue-white subgiant |
| Spectral type | B1.5IVne |
| Colour | Blue-whiteB−V colour index −0.12 |
| Magnitude | 3.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 660 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1370. |
| Proper motion | 0.010″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Canis Major |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 06h 49m 50.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −32° 30′ 31″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →