Orange giant · Canis Minor
γ Canis Minoris
Also known as: γ CMi, HIP 36284
mag 4.3320 light-years
About
γ Canis Minoris is an orange giant of magnitude 4.3 in Canis Minor, about 320 light-years away.
How to find it
- γ Canis Minoris is in the constellation Canis Minor.
- Best evenings: around late February 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 71° 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 | γ Canis Minoris (γ CMi) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 36284 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K3III SB |
| Colour | OrangeB−V colour index 1.43 |
| Magnitude | 4.3The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 320 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1710. |
| Proper motion | 0.060″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Canis Minor |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 07h 28m 09.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +08° 55′ 32″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →