Yellow supergiant · Capricornus
ζ Capricorni
Also known as: ζ Cap, HIP 105881
mag 3.8390 light-years
About
ζ Capricorni is a yellow supergiant of magnitude 3.8 in Capricornus, about 390 light-years away.
How to find it
- ζ Capricorni is in the constellation Capricornus.
- Best evenings: around late September 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 58° 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 | ζ Capricorni (ζ Cap) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 105881 |
| Type | Yellow supergiant |
| Spectral type | G4Ibp |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.00 |
| Magnitude | 3.8The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 390 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1640. |
| Proper motion | 0.019″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Capricornus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 26m 40.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −22° 24′ 41″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →