Saiph: how to find it and when to see it
Saiph ranks 53rd of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 2.07, in the constellation Orion.
You can see it from anywhere south of 80° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in February.
Saiph at a glance
- Constellation
- Orion
- Magnitude
- 2.07
- Rank on our list
- 53 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 5 h 48 min
- Declination
- 9.7° south
- Visible from
- south of 80° N
- Never sets
- south of 80° S
- Best evening
- February 1
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Saiph is in the sky
Saiph sits 9.7° 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 5 h 48 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 Saiph
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Saiph rises in the east, climbs to 40° above the horizon in the south and sets in the west.
It's in the evening sky from December to March, and it's highest in the evening around February 1, in winter.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Saiph rises in the east, climbs to 66° 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 February 1, in summer.
How high Saiph 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 | Rises and sets | 20° in the south | Dec to Mar |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 30° in the south | Dec to Mar |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 40° in the south | Dec to Mar |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 50° in the south | Dec to Apr |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 60° in the south | Dec to Apr |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 80° in the south | Nov to Apr |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 80° in the north | Nov to Apr |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 66° in the north | Nov to Apr |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 55° in the north | Nov to Apr |
What the name Saiph means
Saiph comes from the Arabic sayf al-jabbār, the sword of the giant.
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 Saiph was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Saiph
Saiph is in Orion. It sits 9.7° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 5 h 48 min.
Saiph is highest in the evening sky around February 1. That's winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 80° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 40° above the horizon in the south.
Saiph has a magnitude of 2.07, which ranks it 53rd of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 25 times brighter.
Saiph comes from the Arabic sayf al-jabbār, the sword of the giant.