When is the best time to observe Xamidimura?

Xamidimura is best observed from April through June, with peak visibility during May when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is Xamidimura located in the sky?

Xamidimura lies in the constellation Scorpius at right ascension 16h 52m and declination -38° 03′.

What telescope do I need to split Xamidimura?

Splitting Xamidimura requires an aperture of roughly 80 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 9.2″ at magnitudes near 3.1. The companion is about 5.8 magnitudes fainter, so glare from the primary — not separation — sets the minimum aperture. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

Xamidimura — Double Star in Scorpius

HIP 82514; Mu Scorpii

Magnitude 2.9–3.2^m DoubleStar Scorpius (Sco) Visible

Star Map + List + Plan

About Xamidimura

Description

Xamidimura, Mu1 Scorpii, is a B-type giant of spectral class B1.5 IV about 490 light-years away — a massive, hot, young star in the dense stellar associations of Scorpius-Centaurus. It pairs with Pipirima (Mu2 Sco) to form a naked-eye double. Xamidimura itself is an eclipsing binary, shedding 0.3 magnitudes over a 1.4-day period as a companion B-star transits across its disk. Total combined mass for Xamidimura's binary pair is about 16 solar masses.

Observing Tips

Xamidimura and Pipirima form a bright naked-eye pair south of the main Scorpius outline, about 0.3 degrees apart. The two blue-white stars together make a conspicuous double visible even from moderately light-polluted skies. Xamidimura is slightly the brighter of the two. Best observed in the southern hemisphere May through September; challenging from high northern latitudes.

History

The name Xamidimura comes from the Khoekhoe language of southern Africa, meaning "the eyes of the lion" — paired with Pipirima's Tupi origin, the two stars bear rare non-Eurasian IAU-recognized names. The IAU adopted both names in 2017, in a deliberate effort to include indigenous astronomical traditions in the official nomenclature.

Fun Facts

Xamidimura's ~1.4-day eclipsing cycle was only confirmed with space-based precision photometry in the 2000s — from the ground, the 0.3-magnitude eclipse is hard to separate from atmospheric variations. The pair Mu1/Mu2 Sco is physically unrelated (at 490 and 470 light-years their orbits are independent); they are an optical double, not a gravitationally bound system.