- Stars with a name
- Praecipua
Praecipua
46 Leonis Minoris
Praecipua is an orange giant, in the constellation Leo Minor. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1931.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it is best seen in the evening sky in January, February, March, April, May, and June.
Visible to the naked eye away from the brightest lights. Apparent magnitude 3.79.
What it’s like
It gives off 22 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface is at about 4,600 degrees.
It is 94.9 light years away: 898 trillion kilometres.
It is the star of people born around 1931: the light that left it then is reaching Earth now.