
Star profile
Xi Piscium
What is Xi Piscium
Xi Piscium swims in the serene shoal of the Fishes, the pair joined by a golden cord that crosses the celestial equator. An orange type K giant some 179 light-years away, it offers a warm hue against the diffuse white of its neighbours. Its light forms one of the many discreet points that help to trace the silhouette of the western fish, the gentle figure that medieval charts always drew with its tail knotted to its twin.
Where it is and when to see it
Xi Piscium lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is October, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 42° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 52° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 53° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 87° S.
It ranks no. 16 in brightness among the 79 stars of Pisces in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpherg, the brightest: it lies about 13° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 180 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Xi Piscium
- Constellation
- Pisces
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.61
- Distance
- 179.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 28.389° · Dec 3.188°
- Catalogue
- HIP 8833 · HD 11559
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Other stars in Pisces
Pisces has 79 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AlphergEta Piscium3.62
- Gamma Piscium3.70
- AlreschaAlpha Piscium3.82
- Lambda Piscium4.49
- Tau Piscium4.51
- 33 Piscium4.61
- Chi Piscium4.66
- Phi Piscium4.67