Yellow supergiant · Camelopardalis
β Camelopardalis
Also known as: β Cam, HIP 23522
mag 4.0870 light-years
About
β Camelopardalis is a yellow supergiant of magnitude 4.0 in Camelopardalis, about 870 light-years away.
How to find it
- β Camelopardalis is in the constellation Camelopardalis.
- Best evenings: around late January 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 20° 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
- 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 | β Camelopardalis (β Cam) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 23522 |
| Type | Yellow supergiant |
| Spectral type | G0Ib |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.92 |
| Magnitude | 4.0The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 870 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1150. |
| Proper motion | 0.016″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 05h 03m 25.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +60° 26′ 32″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →