Star profile

Beta Pyxidis

3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is Beta Pyxidis

Beta Pyxidis lights the Compass, a constellation traced by Lacaille in the eighteenth century to scatter navigation instruments among the ancient outlines of the ship Argo. At 416 light-years, this yellow G-type giant is an already evolved star, far larger and more luminous than the Sun, serving as a symbolic needle in a fairly discreet stretch of southern sky.

Where it is and when to see it

Beta Pyxidis lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is February, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 3° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 14° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 89° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 55° N.

It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 18 stars of Pyxis in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Pyxidis, the brightest: it lies about 2° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 420 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on Beta Pyxidis

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.

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 Beta Pyxidis

Constellation: Pyxis
Apparent magnitude: 3.97
Distance: 416.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 130.026° · Dec -35.308°
Catalogue: HIP 42515 · HD 74006

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Pyxis

Pyxis has 18 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 18 stars in Pyxis