Star profile
Pi 2 Cygni
Hot blue starWhat is Pi 2 Cygni
Pi-2 Cygni is a B-type blue giant in the northern reaches of the Swan, a possibly triple system about 1100 light-years away. The primary component is a Beta Cephei variable: it pulses through internal waves of ionised iron in its atmosphere, an extreme mechanism reserved for massive, hot stars. It sits roughly 2.5 degrees east-northeast of the open cluster M39, the obvious signpost for tracking it down with binoculars on a clear northern summer night.
Where it is and when to see it
Pi 2 Cygni lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 88° up.
- From New York it never sets and culminates about 81° up.
- From Sydney it culminates about 7° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 41° S.
It ranks no. 19 in brightness among the 137 stars of Cygnus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Deneb, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 1,100 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Pi 2 Cygni
- Constellation
- Cygnus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.23
- Distance
- 1105.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 326.698° · Dec 49.310°
- Catalogue
- HIP 107533 · HD 207330
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Other stars in Cygnus
Cygnus has 137 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- DenebAlpha Cygni1.25
- SadrGamma Cygni2.23
- AljanahEpsilon Cygni2.48
- 41 Cygni4.01
- 52 Cygni4.22
- Sigma Cygni4.22
- 33 Cygni4.28
- Upsilon Cygni4.41