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Gamma² Normae

Orange giant in Norma

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Proper Name	None
Bayer Designation	Gamma² Normae
Flamsteed Number	None
HR (BSC)	6072
HD	146686
Constellation	Norma
Right Ascension	16h 19m 50s
Declination	-50° 9' 20"
Distance	138 light years 42 parsecs
Magnitude	Apparent: +4.01 Absolute: +0.87
Spectral Class	K0III orange giant
Optimum Visibility	June (Usually visible from southern latitudes)

When the constellation of Norma was first defined, it contained two stars to the north of the main quadrangle shape that makes up the body of the constellation, designated Alpha and Beta Normae. As the boundaries of the constellations were redefined, these two stars were incorporated into neighbouring Scorpius (as N Scorpii and H Scorpii, respectively), leaving Gamma² as the brightest star remaining within the borders of Norma.

Gamma² Normae shines against the backdrop of the Milky Way as it passes through Norma. The star seen here to the extreme west (right) of the image is Gamma¹ Normae, a much more distant supergiant that happens to lie on a close line of sight with Gamma². Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

Gamma² Normae is part of an optical double, hence the '2' in its designation. Its partner, the fainter Gamma¹, lies roughly half a degree to the west in the sky, but in reality is more than ten times farther from Earth. Gamma² is about 138 light years from the Solar System, while Gamma¹ is more than 1,400 light years away. Physically Gamma² is an orange star of the giant class.

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