Yellow-white main-sequence star · Pavo

γ Pavonis

Also known as: γ Pav, HIP 105858

mag 4.230 light-years

About

γ Pavonis is a yellow-white main-sequence star of magnitude 4.2 in Pavo, about 30 light-years away.

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How to find it

  • γ Pavonis is in the constellation Pavo.
  • 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 15° N.

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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

Designationγ Pavonis (γ Pav)
Hipparcos numberHIP 105858
TypeYellow-white main-sequence star
Spectral typeF6V
ColourYellowB−V colour index 0.49
Magnitude4.2The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance30 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1996.
Proper motion0.80″ per year across the sky
ConstellationPavo
Right ascension (J2000)21h 26m 26.5s
Declination (J2000)−65° 21′ 58″

Sources and credits

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