bright giant · B1II
Mirzam
Mirzam is a blue bright giant (spectral type B1II) about 500 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 1.98 it is a very bright, conspicuous star.
A star in Canis Major. Its name means "the herald", because it rises shortly before Sirius.
Its light output is roughly 3,200 times that of the Sun (a rough estimate in visible light, calculated from brightness and distance).
From Germany (52° N) it rises and sets; it is best seen in the evening in December.
Key facts
- Distance
- ≈ 500 light-years
- Spectral type
- B1II (bright giant)
- Colour
- Blue
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.98 mag
- Luminosity
- ≈ 3,200 × Sun
- Position
- Right ascension 6h 23m, declination -18°
More well-known stars
Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.