When is the best time to observe NO Puppis?

NO Puppis is best observed from December through February, with peak visibility during January when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NO Puppis located in the sky?

NO Puppis lies in the constellation Puppis at right ascension 08h 26m and declination -39° 04′.

What telescope do I need to split NO Puppis?

Splitting NO Puppis requires an aperture of roughly 80 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 8.1″ at magnitudes near 6.5. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

NO Puppis — Double Star in Puppis

Observable Variable Star

Range: 6.53 - 6.98, Period: 1.3d, Type: EA+DSCT+SPB

DoubleStar Puppis (Pup) Visible

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Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 6.53

Range 6.53 - 6.98

Period 30.2 hours

Variable Type Eclipsing Binary (Algol-type)

Spectral Type B9V

Star Color Blue-white (B-V -0.09)

Distance 652 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 08h 26m 17.6s

Dec -39° 03' 34.0"

Constellation Puppis (Pup)

HR 3327

HIP 41361

HD 71488

Variable ID NO Pup

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 6.5 mag Companion 7.1 mag Separation 8.1″

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Easy	Easy	Easy
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Easy	Easy	Easy
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Easy	Easy	Easy

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

4Visibility

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Best season Dec – Feb (peak: Jan)

5Light Curve

6Comparison Stars for NO Pup (6.7–7.1)

Nearby stable stars for estimating brightness (AAVSO)

Loading comparison stars…

7Multiple Star System Triple

Components 3 (triple)

Component IDs AxBC

Separation 8.1″

Companion Mag 7.0

Companion Sp A2V:

Position Angle 124°

Star Colors A: Blue-white C: White

Discoverer HJ 4093

Notes

Binary with HR 3328.

Separation over time

Measured 1835 → 2015 (180 y)

Separation drift 15.0" → 8.1" (-6.90")

Rate -0.0383" / y

PA drift 122° → 124° (+2°, +0.011°/y)

Apparent motion is significant on a human timescale — worth revisiting in a decade.

Measured from the WDS observational archive. No orbital solution has been derived — most likely the period is too long to fit an orbit to the available measurement arc.