Star profile

Mirzam

Beta Canis Majoris · Canis Major

Variable star

3D likeness based on its real data · class B · ~15,000 K

What 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, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 21° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 31° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 74° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 72° N.

It ranks no. 4 in brightness among the 90 stars of Canis Major in our catalogue. To find it, start from Sirius, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 490 years ago.

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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

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Other stars in Canis Major

Canis Major has 90 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 90 stars in Canis Major