Yellow-white main-sequence star · Capricornus

ψ Capricorni

Also known as: ψ Cap, HIP 102485

mag 4.148 light-years

About

ψ Capricorni is a yellow-white main-sequence star of magnitude 4.1 in Capricornus, about 48 light-years away.

Read more on Wikipedia →

How to find it

  • ψ Capricorni is in the constellation Capricornus.
  • Best evenings: around mid-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 55° N.

Show on sky map →

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

Designationψ Capricorni (ψ Cap)
Hipparcos numberHIP 102485
TypeYellow-white main-sequence star
Spectral typeF5V
ColourYellowish whiteB−V colour index 0.43
Magnitude4.1The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance48 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1978.
Proper motion0.16″ per year across the sky
ConstellationCapricornus
Right ascension (J2000)20h 46m 05.7s
Declination (J2000)−25° 16′ 15″

Sources and credits

Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →