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Proper NameNone
Bayer DesignationPhi2 Orionis
Flamsteed Number40 Orionis
HR (BSC)1907
HD37160
ConstellationOrion
Right Ascension5h 36m 54s
Declination+9° 17' 26"
Distance114 light years
35 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +4.09
Absolute: +1.31
Spectral ClassK0IIIbFe-2 orange giant
Optimum VisibilityDecember / January
NotesPhi2 Orionis is one of a grouping of stars around Meissa and the Lambda Orionis Cluster that form the head of Orion the Hunter. Most of these objects lie more than a thousand light years from the Sun, but this orange star lies in the foreground at a distance of some 114 light years.

Phi1 and Phi2 Orionis together form an optical double - a pair of stars that appear close together in the sky due entirely to their alignment relative to Earth. In fact Phi2 is far closer to the Sun (at about 114 light years) than Phi1, which is nearly ten times farther away. Together with nearby Meissa, the two Phi stars of Orion fall near the centre of an almost circular area of nebulosity, LBN865, whose edge extends out across the sky almost as far as Betelgeuse.

Orange Phi2 Orionis is marked in the centre of this image. The blue star to the west (right) is Phi1 Orionis, with which Phi2 forms a widely separated optical double. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

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