Orange giant · Pisces
θ Piscium
Also known as: θ Psc, HIP 115830
mag 4.3150 light-years
About
θ Piscium is an orange giant of magnitude 4.3 in Pisces, about 150 light-years away.
How to find it
- θ Piscium is in the constellation Pisces.
- Best evenings: around late October 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 74° S.
- Star patterns: Circlet of Pisces.
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 | θ Piscium (θ Psc) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 115830 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K1III |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.06 |
| Magnitude | 4.3The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 150 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1880. |
| Proper motion | 0.13″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 27m 58.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +06° 22′ 44″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →