Wezen: how to find it and when to see it
Wezen ranks 36th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.83, in the constellation Canis Major.
You can see it from anywhere south of 64° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in February.
Wezen at a glance
- Constellation
- Canis Major
- Magnitude
- 1.83
- Rank on our list
- 36 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 7 h 8 min
- Declination
- 26.4° south
- Visible from
- south of 64° N
- Never sets
- south of 64° S
- Best evening
- February 22
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Wezen is in the sky
Wezen sits 26.4° 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 7 h 8 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 Wezen
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Wezen rises in the southeast, climbs to 24° above the horizon in the south and sets in the southwest.
It's in the evening sky from January to March, and it's highest in the evening around February 22, in winter.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Wezen rises in the southeast, climbs to 82° above the horizon in the north and sets in the southwest.
It's in the evening sky from December to May, and it's highest in the evening around February 22, in summer.
How high Wezen 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 | 4° in the south | None |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 14° in the south | Feb to Mar |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 24° in the south | Jan to Mar |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 34° in the south | Jan to Apr |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 44° in the south | Jan to Apr |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 64° in the south | Dec to Apr |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 84° in the south | Dec to May |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 82° in the north | Dec to May |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 71° in the north | Nov to May |
What the name Wezen means
Wezen comes from the Arabic wazn, weight.
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 Wezen was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Wezen
Wezen is in Canis Major. It sits 26.4° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 7 h 8 min.
Wezen is highest in the evening sky around February 22. That's winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 64° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 24° above the horizon in the south.
Wezen has a magnitude of 1.83, which ranks it 36th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 20 times brighter.
Wezen comes from the Arabic wazn, weight.