When is the best time to observe Upsilon Carinae?

Upsilon Carinae is best observed from January through March, with peak visibility during February when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is Upsilon Carinae located in the sky?

Upsilon Carinae lies in the constellation Carina at right ascension 09h 47m and declination -65° 04′.

What telescope do I need to split Upsilon Carinae?

Splitting Upsilon Carinae requires an aperture of roughly 80 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 5.1″ at magnitudes near 3.0. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

Upsilon Carinae — Double Star in Carina

HIP 48002; Upsilon Carinae

Observable Double Star Good (58/100)

Sep: 5.1", Companion: mag 6.0

Magnitude 3.0^m DoubleStar Carina (Car) Visible

Star Map + List + Plan

About Upsilon Car

Description

Upsilon Carinae is an A-type supergiant of spectral class A6 Ib about 1,400 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. It shines at magnitude 3.01 and has a luminosity of roughly 37,000 Suns. The star pairs with a cooler secondary visible at about 5 arcseconds — a lovely double for southern hemisphere observers. Upsilon Car is a member of the Carina OB1 stellar association, which includes the famous Eta Carinae region.

Observing Tips

Upsilon Car is best seen from southern latitudes, where it appears high in the southern Milky Way. The 5-arcsecond companion splits cleanly at 100x in a 3-inch telescope. Upsilon Car lies near the False Cross asterism and the nearby rich open cluster IC 2602 (Southern Pleiades). Best observed from southern latitudes, January through July.

History

Upsilon Car retains its Bayer designation in modern catalogs. No widely-used traditional name has been formalized by the IAU.

Fun Facts

Upsilon Car lies in one of the richest star-forming regions in the southern Milky Way — the Carina arm is studded with young massive stars. Its stellar wind contributes to the ionization of the surrounding interstellar medium, shaping the nebulosity seen in deep H-alpha imagery of the region.

Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 3.01

Spectral Type A6Ib supergiant

Star Color Yellow-white (B-V 0.28)

Distance 121 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 09h 47m 06.1s

Dec -65° 04' 19.0"

Constellation Carina (Car)

HR 3890

HIP 48002

HD 85123

SAO 250695

Bayer Upsilon

SIMBAD Wikipedia

3How easy to split?

Primary 3.0 mag Companion 6.0 mag Separation 5.1″

Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Medium+	Medium+	Medium+
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

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Jan – Mar (peak: Feb)

5Multiple Star System

Separation 5.1″

Companion Mag 6.0

Position Angle 128°

Star Colors A: Yellow-white B: White

Discoverer RMK 11

Notes

CPM with HR 3891. Mag. and colors for combined light, 2.96V, +0.27(B-V), +0.12(U-B), +0.29(R-I).

Separation over time

Measured 1836 → 2016 (180 y)

Separation drift 4.9" → 5.1" (+0.20")

Rate +0.0011" / y

PA drift 126° → 128° (+2°, +0.011°/y)

Essentially fixed on human timescales — the same view your grandchildren will see.

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.