Star profile
Mu Phoenicis
What is Mu Phoenicis
Mu Phoenicis is a yellow giant in the constellation of the Phoenix, a figure born late, during the Dutch voyages of the sixteenth century, and named by Bayer after the bird that rises from its own ashes. The star has burned through its core hydrogen and now glows with a warm radiance from 246 light years away. It shines in a region of the southern sky that, for thousands of years, remained unnamed for the peoples of the Mediterranean.
Where it is and when to see it
Mu Phoenicis lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 3° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 78° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 44° N.
It ranks no. 10 in brightness among the 39 stars of Phoenix in our catalogue. To find it, start from Ankaa, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 250 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Mu Phoenicis
- Constellation
- Phoenix
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.59
- Distance
- 245.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 10.331° · Dec -46.085°
- Catalogue
- HIP 3245 · HD 3919
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Other stars in Phoenix
Phoenix has 39 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AnkaaAlpha Phoenicis2.40
- Beta Phoenicis3.32
- Gamma Phoenicis3.41
- WurrenZeta Phoenicis3.94
- Eta Phoenicis4.36
- Psi Phoenicis4.39
- Iota Phoenicis4.69
- HIP 1166024.74