Star profile

Praecipua

46 Leonis Minoris · Leo Minor

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

What is Praecipua

Praecipua, «the chief» in Latin, is the brightest star of Leo Minor, a discreet constellation coined by Hevelius in the seventeenth century to fill the gap between the Great Bear and the Lion. An orange K-class giant 95 light years away, it is a quiet beacon in a sparsely populated region of the sky that easily slips past notice under city lights.

Where it is and when to see it

Praecipua lies in the northern 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 73° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 84° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 22° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 56° S.

It is the brightest of the 22 stars of Leo Minor in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.

The light you see today left it about 95 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Praecipua

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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 Praecipua

Constellation: Leo Minor
Apparent magnitude: 3.79
Distance: 94.9 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 163.328° · Dec 34.215°
Catalogue: HIP 53229 · HD 94264

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

Other stars in Leo Minor

Leo Minor has 22 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 22 stars in Leo Minor