Star profile
Rho Pavonis
Variable starWhat is Rho Pavonis
Rho Pavonis is a yellowish variable giant pulsing in the body of the Peacock, a constellation drawn in the sixteenth century by Dutch navigators mapping the southern sky. Its brightness shifts slowly as the evolved star adjusts the delicate balance between core and envelope. The light we see set out almost one hundred and ninety years ago, at the dawn of the industrial era.
Where it is and when to see it
Rho Pavonis lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is July, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 62° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 28° N.
It ranks no. 15 in brightness among the 44 stars of Pavo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Peacock, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 190 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Rho Pavonis
- Constellation
- Pavo
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.86
- Distance
- 189.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 309.397° · Dec -61.530°
- Catalogue
- HIP 101773 · HD 195961
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Other stars in Pavo
Pavo has 44 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- PeacockAlpha Pavonis1.94
- Beta Pavonis3.42
- Delta Pavonis3.55
- Nu Pavonis4.63
- Phi 1 Pavonis4.75
- HIP 920244.78
- HIP 986084.95
- Omicron Pavonis5.06