Star profile
20 Canum Venaticorum
Variable starWhat is 20 Canum Venaticorum
20 Canum Venaticorum is an F-type variable in the Hunting Dogs, that small constellation chasing the Great Bear. Its brightness will not sit still: it pulses gently, like many pulsating stars of its class, while reaching us from 264 light-years away. The constellation is a discreet, almost intimate corner where Hevelius sketched two hounds straining at Boötes' leash. There, this yellow-white sun beats quietly as the Bear wheels overhead.
Where it is and when to see it
20 Canum Venaticorum lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is March, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 79° up.
- From New York it culminates about 90° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 16° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 49° S.
It ranks no. 4 in brightness among the 33 stars of Canes Venatici in our catalogue. To find it, start from Cor Caroli, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 260 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 20 Canum Venaticorum
- Constellation
- Canes Venatici
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.72
- Distance
- 264.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 199.386° · Dec 40.573°
- Catalogue
- HIP 64844 · HD 115604
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Other stars in Canes Venatici
Canes Venatici has 33 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Cor CaroliAlpha 2 Canum Venaticorum2.89
- CharaBeta Canum Venaticorum4.24
- 24 Canum Venaticorum4.68
- 5 Canum Venaticorum4.76
- HIP 676654.76
- 25 Canum Venaticorum4.82
- HIP 662574.91
- HIP 645404.94