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Star profile

Pi Persei

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Pi Persei

Pi Persei is a white A-type star roughly 310 light-years away, set in the rich background of Perseus, that constellation heavy with open clusters and the legendary Algol. It shines in a region crossed by the winter Milky Way, thick with young suns and gas clouds. Its clean white light is one among the many that trace the shoulders and cloak of the Greek hero.

Where it is and when to see it

Pi Persei lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is November, when it culminates around midnight.

  • From London it never sets and culminates about 78° up.
  • From New York it culminates about 89° above the horizon.
  • From Sydney it culminates about 16° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 50° S.

It ranks no. 29 in brightness among the 99 stars of Perseus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Mirfak, the brightest: it lies about 11° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 310 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on Pi Persei

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.

A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for Pi Persei

Constellation
Perseus
Apparent magnitude
4.68
Distance
309.8 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 44.690° · Dec 39.663°
Catalogue
HIP 13879 · HD 18411

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Perseus

Perseus has 99 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 99 stars in Perseus