Star profile
Psi 1 Aurigae
Variable starWhat is Psi 1 Aurigae
Psi-1 Aurigae is a rare orange K-type supergiant in the Charioteer, one of the largest and most luminous embers visible to the naked eye within that winter constellation. Its brightness drifts slowly, betraying the deep labour of a vast atmosphere that has already burned through almost all of its nuclear fuel. Precise measurements of its distance are notoriously hard —so great is its true luminosity—, but catalogues place it among the most far-flung supergiants the human eye can still pick out in the northern night.
Where it is and when to see it
Psi 1 Aurigae 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: 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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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 Psi 1 Aurigae
- Constellation
- Auriga
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.92
- Distance
- 326200.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 96.225° · Dec 49.288°
- Catalogue
- HIP 30520 · HD 44537
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Auriga
Auriga has 76 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- CapellaAlpha Aurigae0.08
- HYG 1183600.96
- MenkalinanBeta Aurigae1.90
- Psi 2 Aurigae4.80
- Mu Aurigae4.82
- 63 Aurigae4.91
- Omega Aurigae4.93
- Xi Aurigae4.96