
Star profile
Furud
Zeta Canis Majoris · Canis Major
Hot blue starWhat is Furud
Furud, 'the solitary one' in Arabic, marks the rear paw of the Greater Dog, set apart from the nearby blaze of Sirius. Despite the name, it is in fact a hot, luminous blue star about 362 light-years away — its apparent restraint is just a matter of distance. The light crossing the winter sky tonight set out around 1664, in the heart of Europe's scientific revolution.
Where it is and when to see it
Furud lies in the southern 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 8° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 19° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 86° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 60° N.
It ranks no. 6 in brightness among the 90 stars of Canis Major in our catalogue. To find it, start from Sirius, the brightest: it lies about 15° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 360 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Furud
- Constellation
- Canis Major
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.02
- Distance
- 362.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 95.078° · Dec -30.063°
- Catalogue
- HIP 30122 · HD 44402
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Other stars in Canis Major
Canis Major has 90 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- SiriusAlpha Canis Majoris-1.44
- AdharaEpsilon Canis Majoris1.50
- WezenDelta Canis Majoris1.83
- MirzamBeta Canis Majoris1.98
- AludraEta Canis Majoris2.45
- Omicron 2 Canis Majoris3.02
- NganurganitySigma Canis Majoris3.49
- Kappa Canis Majoris3.50