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Procyon
Solar Type Star
| Right Ascension | 00h 00m 00s | Best Seen | --- |
| Declination | 00° 00' 00" | Magnitude | -.-- |
| Constellation | Canis Minor | ||
| Actual | Compared to Sun | |
| Distance | ~-- ly | -- |
| Actual Brightness | -- | -- |
| Surface Temperature | -- °K | -- |
| Diameter | -- | -- |
| Mass | -- | -- |
| Surface Gravity | -- | -- |
| Surface Composition (by mass) | 74% hydrogen 24% helium 2% everything else |
same |
| Spectral Type | --- | G2 V |
| Density (gram/cubic cm) | -- | -- |
What To Look For Through The Telescope
# TODO
PROCYON (ALPHA (α) CANIS MINORIS)
SOLAR TYPE STAR
Right Ascension:
07h 49m 18s
Best Seen:
1/15 - 5/1
Declination:
05º 13' 35"
Magnitude:
0.4
Computer File:
procyon
Constellation:
Canis Minor
Actual
Compared to Sun
Distance
~ 11.4 ly
--
Actual Brightness
--
--
Surface Temperature
~ 6700 K
~ 1.16
Diameter
--
--
Mass
--
--
Surface Gravity
--
--
Surface Composition (by mass)
74% hydrogen 24% helium 2% everything else
same
Spectral Type
F5 IV-V
G2 V
Density (gram/cubic cm)
--
--
WHAT TO LOOK FOR THROUGH THE TELESCOPE:
-
Recommended eyepiece: 24mm or 40 mm.
-
When people look through the telescope they should see a faint star. It may appear to be a pale yellow.
PROCYON INFORMATION:
-
Procyon is the 6th brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere’s night sky (the 8th brightest star overall).
-
The Greek name means “before the dog,” referring to the fact that for Northern latitudes, Procyon rises before the “Dog Star,” Sirius.
-
Just because a star is bright doesn’t mean it’s close to us.
a. The 5th brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere is Rigel in the constellation Orion. Rigel is a very hot, very large, blue star. It’s brighter than Procyon – but it’s about 770 light years away!
b. Procyon isn’t quite as bright as Rigel, yet it’s only 11 light years away. However, Procyon is a medium temperature, medium size, yellow star.
- Procyon has a companion star, Procyon B.
a. Procyon B is a white dwarf.
b. It was truly discovered in 1895.
c. However, its existence was known since 1844: Procyon A wobbles a bit, leading astronomers to infer the presence of a companion which could gravitationally influence Procyon A’s motion.
Item
Updated
Notes
Coordinates
11-26-2003
SIMBAD 07 39 18 +05 13 30
Hipparcos 07 39 18 +05 13 39
Magnitude
11-26-2003
SIMBAD 0.34 Hipparcos 0.40
Distance
11-26-2003
SIMBAD, Hipparcos parallax 285.93mas -> 11.4 ly
Actual Brightness
Surface Temperature
Diameter
Mass
Surface Gravity
Surface Composition
11-26-2003
OK for all stars
Spectral Type
11-26-2003
SIMBAD, Hipparcos F5 IV-V
Density
Other Information
11-26-2003
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/procyon.html