Star profile

Psi 6 Aurigae

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Psi 6 Aurigae

Psi-6 Aurigae is an orange giant in the Charioteer, the constellation crowned by the bright Capella. It belongs to a small group of psi-labelled stars scattered across the eastern region of Auriga, all of them red or orange — visual remnants of a sky full of evolved stars. At 360 light years away, it shines with the slow, deliberate light of a star that has already burned the hydrogen of its heart.

Where it is and when to see it

Psi 6 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, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it never sets and culminates about 87° up.
From New York it culminates about 82° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 7° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 41° S.

It ranks no. 34 in brightness among the 76 stars of Auriga in our catalogue. To find it, start from Capella, the brightest: it lies about 16° 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 Psi 6 Aurigae

Constellation: Auriga
Apparent magnitude: 5.22
Distance: 360.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 101.915° · Dec 48.789°
Catalogue: HIP 32562 · HD 48781

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Other stars in Auriga

Auriga has 76 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 76 stars in Auriga