Procyon
HR 2943 · HIP 37279 · α CMi
👁️ Naked-eye
📋 A written introduction is coming — for now this page shows official values only.
Star
- Apparent magnitude
- 0.37 mag
- Parallax
- 284.56 mas → about 11.5 light-years away
- Spectral type
- F5IV-V
- Right ascension
- 114.8255°
- Declination
- 5.225°
- Designation
- HR 2943
- Bayer designation
- α CMi
- HIP number
- 37279
- IAU name adopted
- 2016-06-30
- Name language
- Greek
- Name origin (IAU)
- From its ancient Greek name Προκύων, "the One Preceding the Dog", referring to its rising shortly before the "Dog Star", Sirius. Reapplied in Early Modern times.
Source:IAU Working Group on Star Names · checked 2026-11-02 ↗ESA Hipparcos Catalogue (ESA Gaia Archive) · checked 2026-11-03 ↗
Related
Constellation
In everyday life
- Light from this object takes about 11 years to reach Earth — the light you see tonight left around AD 2015 (official distance ÷ speed of light).
- At magnitude 0.4 it is bright enough for the naked eye (limit about 6) — look from somewhere dark.
- Declination 5.2° — it rises above the horizon in Seoul (37.6° N), so it is visible from Korea in the right season.