Star profile
Pi 1 Boötis
Hot blue starWhat is Pi 1 Boötis
Pi-1 Boötis forms with its partner Pi-2 one of the loveliest doubles in Boötes, splittable with small binoculars. The primary is a rare chemically peculiar HgMn star, with an atmosphere abnormally rich in mercury, manganese and silicon. The companion is a fast-spinning white star, five hundred astronomical units away.
Where it is and when to see it
Pi 1 Boötis lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is April, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 55° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 66° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 40° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 74° S.
It ranks no. 14 in brightness among the 88 stars of Boötes in our catalogue. To find it, start from Arcturus, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 310 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Pi 1 Boötis
- Constellation
- Boötes
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.49
- Distance
- 305.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 220.182° · Dec 16.418°
- Catalogue
- HIP 71762 · HD 129174
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Other stars in Boötes
Boötes has 88 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- ArcturusAlpha Boötis-0.05
- IzarEpsilon Boötis2.35
- MuphridEta Boötis2.68
- XuangeLambda Boötis4.18
- AlkaluropsMu 1 Boötis4.31
- Sigma Boötis4.47
- Tau Boötis4.50
- Psi Boötis4.52