Star profile
Sigma Puppis
Variable starWhat is Sigma Puppis
σ Puppis is an orange giant that pulses slowly, varying its brightness in long cycles like a stellar breath. It belongs to the ancient stern of the ship Argo, divided in the 18th century into three constellations: Carina, Vela and Puppis. Its warm K-type light suggests a star well into its later life, swollen and golden in the southern latitudes of the sky.
Where it is and when to see it
Sigma Puppis 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.
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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 Sigma Puppis
- Constellation
- Puppis
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.25
- Distance
- 193.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 112.308° · Dec -43.301°
- Catalogue
- HIP 36377 · HD 59717
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Puppis
Puppis has 145 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- NaosZeta Puppis2.21
- Pi Puppis2.71
- TureisRho Puppis2.83
- Tau Puppis2.94
- Nu Puppis3.17
- AzmidiXi Puppis3.34
- HIP 378193.62
- HIP 384143.71