Star profile
Mirzam
Beta Canis Majoris · Canis Major
Variable starWhat is Mirzam
Mirzam is the «announcer», the blue star that rises in the sky just before Sirius, the brightest of all. Its Arabic name —«al-mirzam», the herald— comes from rising a few minutes ahead of its bigger sister in Canis Major and, for centuries, warning shepherds that night was entering its most luminous stretch. A Beta Cephei variable 492 light-years away, it pulses within while appearing still.
Where it is and when to see it
Mirzam 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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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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 Mirzam
- Constellation
- Canis Major
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.98
- Distance
- 492.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 95.675° · Dec -17.956°
- Catalogue
- HIP 30324 · HD 44743
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
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
- AludraEta Canis Majoris2.45
- FurudZeta Canis Majoris3.02
- Omicron 2 Canis Majoris3.02
- NganurganitySigma Canis Majoris3.49
- Kappa Canis Majoris3.50