Star profile

Kappa Canis Majoris

Variable star

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

What is Kappa Canis Majoris

Kappa Canis Majoris pulses at 659 light-years, a variable blue giant set among the hounds that follow Orion across the winter sky. Its brightness breathes in subtle oscillations, the unmistakable signature of a star so massive and hot that its own atmosphere can barely hold it together. The light crossing our skies tonight first set out from there as the Renaissance was just beginning to lean into the Baroque.

Where it is and when to see it

Kappa Canis Majoris lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January: 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.

Find it on the sky map

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The signature wall

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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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Write my signature

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 Kappa Canis Majoris

Constellation: Canis Major
Apparent magnitude: 3.50
Distance: 659.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 102.460° · Dec -32.508°
Catalogue: HIP 32759 · HD 50013

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.

See all 90 stars in Canis Major