Star profile
Zeta Canis Minoris
Hot blue starWhat is Zeta Canis Minoris
Zeta Canis Minoris is a hot blue B-type star whose light sets out on a journey of nearly 624 years before touching Earth. It belongs to the diminutive Canis Minor, dominated by Procyon, and stands among its few truly notable members. Its surface burns at temperatures several times that of the Sun, and its intrinsic brightness is far greater than the modest apparent magnitude suggests —dimmed by the great distance.
Where it is and when to see it
Zeta Canis Minoris lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 40° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 51° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 54° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 88° S.
It ranks no. 7 in brightness among the 25 stars of Canis Minor in our catalogue. To find it, start from Procyon, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 620 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Zeta Canis Minoris
- Constellation
- Canis Minor
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.12
- Distance
- 623.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 117.925° · Dec 1.767°
- Catalogue
- HIP 38373 · HD 63975
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Other stars in Canis Minor
Canis Minor has 25 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- ProcyonAlpha Canis Minoris0.40
- GomeisaBeta Canis Minoris2.89
- Gamma Canis Minoris4.33
- HIP 393114.39
- 6 Canis Minoris4.55
- Epsilon Canis Minoris4.99
- Eta Canis Minoris5.22
- Delta 1 Canis Minoris5.24