Star profile
Psi 2 Orionis
Variable starWhat is Psi 2 Orionis
Psi-2 Orionis is a binary system so tight that the two stars deform one another by gravity and produce a grazing eclipse every 2.5 days, an ellipsoidal variable whose brightness shifts by a few hundredths of a magnitude with each turn. At 1,137 light-years within Orion, its blue light set out when the Norman kingdom of Sicily was just taking shape in the Mediterranean.
Where it is and when to see it
Psi 2 Orionis lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is December, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 42° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 52° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 53° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 87° S.
It ranks no. 31 in brightness among the 128 stars of Orion in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rigel, 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 Psi 2 Orionis
- Constellation
- Orion
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.59
- Distance
- 1136.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 81.709° · Dec 3.096°
- Catalogue
- HIP 25473 · HD 35715
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Other stars in Orion
Orion has 128 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- RigelBeta Orionis0.18
- BetelgeuseAlpha Orionis0.45
- BellatrixGamma Orionis1.64
- Omega Orionis4.50
- HIP 284134.53
- 42 Orionis4.58
- Upsilon Orionis4.62
- Pi 1 Orionis4.64