Aspidiske: how to find it and when to see it
Aspidiske ranks 63rd of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 2.21, in the constellation Carina.
You can see it from anywhere south of 31° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in March.
Aspidiske at a glance
- Constellation
- Carina
- Magnitude
- 2.21
- Rank on our list
- 63 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 9 h 17 min
- Declination
- 59.3° south
- Visible from
- south of 31° N
- Never sets
- south of 31° S
- Best evening
- March 26
- Name from
- Greek
- Same constellation
- Canopus, Miaplacidus, Avior
Where Aspidiske is in the sky
Aspidiske sits 59.3° south of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the southern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 9 h 17 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Aspidiske
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Aspidiske never rises above the horizon. You need to be south of 31° N to see it.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Aspidiske never sets: it circles the pole all night and climbs to 65° above the horizon in the south.
It's in the evening sky from November to July, and it's highest in the evening around March 26, in fall.
How high Aspidiske climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm during daylight saving time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 50° N | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 40° N | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 1° in the south | None |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 11° in the south | Mar |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 31° in the south | Jan to May |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 51° in the south | Dec to Jun |
| 34° S | Never sets | 65° in the south | Nov to Jul |
| 45° S | Never sets | 76° in the south | All year |
What the name Aspidiske means
Aspidiske comes from the Greek for little shield, an ornament on the stern of the ship Argo.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Aspidiske was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Aspidiske
Aspidiske is in Carina. It sits 59.3° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 9 h 17 min.
Aspidiske is highest in the evening sky around March 26. That's spring in the northern hemisphere and fall in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 31° N. From 40° N, it never rises, so you need to be farther south.
Aspidiske has a magnitude of 2.21, which ranks it 63rd of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 29 times brighter.
Aspidiske comes from the Greek for little shield, an ornament on the stern of the ship Argo.