Menu

Phi Velorum — Star in Vela

Magnitude 3.5m Star Vela (Vel) Visible
Star Map
+ List + Plan

Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 3.54
Spectral Type B6II bright giant
Star Color Blue-white (B-V -0.08)
Distance 1,586 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 09h 56m 51.8s
Dec -54° 34' 04.0"
Constellation Vela (Vel)
HR 3940
HIP 48774
HD 86440
SAO 237522
Bayer Phi
SIMBAD

3How easy to spot?

Sign in and configure your equipment and default location to see a personalized row.
Equipment Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5
Naked eye Easy Easy Medium+
50mm finder Easy Easy Easy
150mm scope 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)

5Survey Image

Loading survey image…

Explore

7

Size Comparison

Querying VizieR for stellar data…
8

Compare Stars

9

Spectral Classification

10

Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

Loading HR diagram…
Read: The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram — Reading Stars Like a Map
11

Stellar Lifecycle

12

Blackbody Spectrum

13

Stellar Absorption Spectrum

Simulated absorption spectrum based on spectral type. Hover over lines to identify elements.

14

Stellar Fusion

Discover

15Stellar Notes

Companion K0III, optical.
Sco-Cen assoc.
16

Light Travel Time Machine

17

Relativistic Travel

Nearby in the Sky

Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.

Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.

NGC 3105
Easy
Open cluster
Open Cluster mag 9.7 0.6° Vela
S Car
Easy
Mira-type variable, range 4.5–9.9
Variable Star mag 5.60 7.2° Carina
NGC 3372
eta Car nebula
Easy
Emission nebula — try an OIII filter
Emission Nebula mag 3.00 8.3° Carina
Show on Map

Explore Nightbase

Related knowledge, tools, and stories — no observation planning required.

Arthur Eddington
1919 eclipse expedition confirming general relativity; first theory of stellar interiors; the Eddington limit
Biography
Vela
Mythology, bright stars, and deep-sky highlights.
Constellation
The Life of Stars
From birth in a nebula to spectacular death — how stars are born, shine, swell, and die, and how to read the clues in their starlight.
Article
}