Avior: how to find it and when to see it
Avior ranks 38th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.86, in the constellation Carina.
You can see it from anywhere south of 30° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in March.
Avior at a glance
- Constellation
- Carina
- Magnitude
- 1.86
- Rank on our list
- 38 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 8 h 23 min
- Declination
- 59.5° south
- Visible from
- south of 30° N
- Never sets
- south of 30° S
- Best evening
- March 12
- Name from
- Modern
- Same constellation
- Canopus, Miaplacidus, Aspidiske
Where Avior is in the sky
Avior sits 59.5° 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 8 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 Avior
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Avior never rises above the horizon. You need to be south of 30° N to see it.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Avior never sets: it circles the pole all night and climbs to 64° 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 12, in autumn.
How high Avior 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 | 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 | 0° in the south | None |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 10° in the south | Mar |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 30° in the south | Jan to May |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 50° in the south | Dec to Jun |
| 34° S | Never sets | 64° in the south | Nov to Jul |
| 45° S | Never sets | 75° in the south | All year |
What the name Avior means
Avior is a modern name. It was given to the star in the 1930s for an air navigation almanac.
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 Avior was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Avior
Avior is in Carina. It sits 59.5° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 8 h 23 min.
Avior is highest in the evening sky around March 12. That's spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 30° N. From 40° N, it never rises, so you need to be further south.
Avior has a magnitude of 1.86, which ranks it 38th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 21 times brighter.
Avior is a modern name. It was given to the star in the 1930s for an air navigation almanac.