Adhara: how to find it and when to see it
Adhara ranks 22nd of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.50, in the constellation Canis Major.
You can see it from anywhere south of 61° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in February.
Adhara at a glance
- Constellation
- Canis Major
- Magnitude
- 1.50
- Rank on our list
- 22 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 6 h 59 min
- Declination
- 29.0° south
- Visible from
- south of 61° N
- Never sets
- south of 61° S
- Best evening
- 19 February
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Adhara is in the sky
Adhara sits 29.0° 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 59 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 Adhara
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Adhara rises in the south-east, climbs to 21° above the horizon in the south and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from January to March, and it's highest in the evening around 19 February, in winter.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Adhara rises in the south-east, climbs to 85° above the horizon in the north and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from November to May, and it's highest in the evening around 19 February, in summer.
How high Adhara 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 | 1° in the south | None |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 11° in the south | Feb |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 21° in the south | Jan to Mar |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 31° in the south | Jan to Apr |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 41° in the south | Dec to Apr |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 61° in the south | Dec to Apr |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 81° in the south | Dec to May |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 85° in the north | Nov to May |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 74° in the north | Nov to May |
What the name Adhara means
Adhara comes from the Arabic al-ʿadhārā, the maidens.
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 Adhara was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Adhara
Adhara is in Canis Major. It sits 29.0° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 6 h 59 min.
Adhara is highest in the evening sky around 19 February. That's winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 61° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 21° above the horizon in the south.
Adhara has a magnitude of 1.50, which ranks it 22nd of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 15 times brighter.
Adhara comes from the Arabic al-ʿadhārā, the maidens.