Star profile
Sigma Phoenicis
Hot blue starWhat is Sigma Phoenicis
Sigma Phoenicis is a hot blue type B star burning some 604 light-years away, in the bird that rises from its ashes. The constellation was traced by the Flemish navigators Keyser and de Houtman at the end of the sixteenth century, on their voyages to the East Indies, when the southern skies were being mapped for the first time with modern instruments. Sigma belongs to the plumage of that newly named bird.
Where it is and when to see it
Sigma Phoenicis lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is August, 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 culminates about 74° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 40° N.
It ranks no. 19 in brightness among the 39 stars of Phoenix in our catalogue. To find it, start from Ankaa, the brightest: it lies about 10° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 600 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Sigma Phoenicis
- Constellation
- Phoenix
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.18
- Distance
- 604.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 356.817° · Dec -50.226°
- Catalogue
- HIP 117315 · HD 223145
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Other stars in Phoenix
Phoenix has 39 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AnkaaAlpha Phoenicis2.40
- Beta Phoenicis3.32
- Gamma Phoenicis3.41
- Phi Phoenicis5.12
- Pi Phoenicis5.13
- Chi Phoenicis5.15
- Upsilon Phoenicis5.21
- Rho Phoenicis5.24