White giant · Piscis Austrinus
γ Piscis Austrini
Also known as: γ PsA, HIP 112948
mag 4.5220 light-years
About
γ Piscis Austrini is a white giant of magnitude 4.5 in Piscis Austrinus, about 220 light-years away.
How to find it
- γ Piscis Austrini is in the constellation Piscis Austrinus.
- Best evenings: around mid-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 south of 47° N.
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 Piscis Austrini (γ PsA) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 112948 |
| Type | White giant |
| Spectral type | A0III |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.04 |
| Magnitude | 4.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 220 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1810. |
| Proper motion | 0.040″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Piscis Austrinus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 52m 31.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −32° 52′ 32″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →