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Light mode
27 CMa The Sun
Surface temperature
12,900 K
Radius
13 × the Sun
Luminosity
4,203 × the Sun
Spectral type
B3III
Diagram, not a photograph. Colour from the star’s measured colour index; size from its luminosity and temperature, drawn to one scale with the Sun. Source: HYG stellar database.

Cataloged star · Database record + computed analysis

27 CMa

HIP 34981 · HD 56014

A real star from the HYG catalog in the constellation Canis Major.

1,734.9 light-years away Apparent magnitude 4.42

B-type: blue-white powerhouse

Its spectral type is B3III: hot (10,000–30,000 °C), luminous and fast-burning: the searchlights of young star regions. From its measured color, its surface temperature is roughly 12,902 K (12,629 °C), an estimate computed from the catalog's color index.

How far away is it?

It lies about 1,735 light-years away (531.9 parsecs, from its measured parallax). The light reaching Earth tonight left it around the year 291.

How powerful is it?

Its computed luminosity is 4,203 times the Sun's output, a genuine searchlight (derived from its brightness and distance).

Can you see it?

At apparent magnitude 4.42, it is a naked-eye star under dark skies, washed out by city lights. It is visible from both hemispheres.

It varies

This is a catalogued variable star (EW): its brightness measurably changes over time, whether by pulsation, eclipses in a double system, or surface activity.

Everything above is computed from the catalog’s measured values for this star. Where a value is missing, the statement is omitted rather than guessed.

About this record

Data: the HYG stellar database v4.1 (Hipparcos + Yale + Gliese, CC BY-SA, © David Nash / astronexus). Want the full stories? Our deep star guides cover Sirius, Betelgeuse, Proxima Centauri, Vega and three dozen more. You can also browse the catalog or learn how stars live and die.