Capella: how to find it and when to see it
Capella ranks 6th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 0.08, in the constellation Auriga.
You can see it from anywhere north of 44° S, and it's highest in the evening sky in January.
Capella at a glance
- Constellation
- Auriga
- Magnitude
- 0.08
- Rank on our list
- 6 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Northern
- Right ascension
- 5 h 17 min
- Declination
- 46.0° north
- Visible from
- north of 44° S
- Never sets
- north of 44° N
- Best evening
- January 24
- Name from
- Latin
- Same constellation
- Menkalinan
Where Capella is in the sky
Capella sits 46.0° north of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the northern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 5 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 Capella
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Capella rises a little east of due north, climbs to 84° above the horizon in the north and sets a little west of due north.
It's in the evening sky from October to May, and it's highest in the evening around January 24, in winter.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Capella rises in the north-east, climbs to 10° above the horizon in the north and sets in the north-west.
It never climbs more than 10° above the horizon, so you need a clear, low view to the north to spot it.
How high Capella 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 sets | 76° in the south | All year |
| 50° N | Never sets | 86° in the south | Sep to Jun |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 84° in the north | Oct to May |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 74° in the north | Oct to Apr |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 64° in the north | Nov to Apr |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 44° in the north | Nov to Mar |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 24° in the north | Dec to Mar |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 10° in the north | None |
| 45° S | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
What the name Capella means
Capella is Latin for little she-goat. In Greek and Roman myth, it's the goat Amalthea, who nursed the young Zeus.
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 Capella was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Capella
Capella is in Auriga. It sits 46.0° north of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 5 h 17 min.
Capella is highest in the evening sky around January 24. That's winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere north of 44° S. From 34° S, it climbs to 10° above the horizon in the north.
Capella has a magnitude of 0.08, which ranks it 6th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 4.1 times brighter.
Capella is Latin for little she-goat. In Greek and Roman myth, it's the goat Amalthea, who nursed the young Zeus.