Mirzam: how to find it and when to see it
Mirzam ranks 46th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.98, in the constellation Canis Major.
You can see it from anywhere south of 72° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in February.
Mirzam at a glance
- Constellation
- Canis Major
- Magnitude
- 1.98
- Rank on our list
- 46 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 6 h 23 min
- Declination
- 18.0° south
- Visible from
- south of 72° N
- Never sets
- south of 72° S
- Best evening
- 10 February
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Mirzam is in the sky
Mirzam sits 18.0° 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 6 h 23 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 Mirzam
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Mirzam rises in the south-east, climbs to 32° above the horizon in the south and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from December to March, and it's highest in the evening around 10 February, in winter.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Mirzam rises in the east, climbs to 74° above the horizon in the north and sets in the west.
It's in the evening sky from November to April, and it's highest in the evening around 10 February, in summer.
How high Mirzam climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm in summer 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 | Rises and sets | 12° in the south | Feb |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 22° in the south | Jan to Mar |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 32° in the south | Dec to Mar |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 42° in the south | Dec to Apr |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 52° in the south | Dec to Apr |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 72° in the south | Dec to Apr |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 88° in the north | Dec to Apr |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 74° in the north | Nov to Apr |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 63° in the north | Nov to May |
What the name Mirzam means
Mirzam comes from the Arabic al-mirzam, the herald. It rises just before Sirius and announces it.
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 Mirzam was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Mirzam
Mirzam is in Canis Major. It sits 18.0° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 6 h 23 min.
Mirzam is highest in the evening sky around 10 February. That's winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 72° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 32° above the horizon in the south.
Mirzam has a magnitude of 1.98, which ranks it 46th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 23 times brighter.
Mirzam comes from the Arabic al-mirzam, the herald. It rises just before Sirius and announces it.