Blue-white supergiant · Vela
φ Velorum
Also known as: φ Vel, HIP 48774
mag 3.51,600 light-years
About
φ Velorum is a blue-white supergiant of magnitude 3.5 in Vela, about 1,600 light-years away.
How to find it
- φ Velorum is in the constellation Vela.
- Best evenings: around early April 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 25° 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 | φ Velorum (φ Vel) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 48774 |
| Type | Blue-white supergiant |
| Spectral type | B5Ib |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.07 |
| Magnitude | 3.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 1,600 light-yearsThe light you see left it around AD 400. Distances this large are uncertain by 10% or more. |
| Proper motion | 0.013″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Vela |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 09h 56m 51.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −54° 34′ 04″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →