Procyon

system

Procyon is the eighth-brightest star in the night sky, 11.5 light-years away in Canis Minor. It is a binary: the yellow-white subgiant Procyon A and the faint white dwarf Procyon B, which orbit each other every ~41 years. No planets are confirmed.

Open in 3D viewSee Procyon in the live, interactive 3D map

Key facts

Type

Subgiant + white dwarf

Distance

11.46 light-years

Mutual orbit

~40.8 years

Confirmed planets

Science

Classification

Type: Binary — a subgiant with a white-dwarf companion
Stars: Procyon A (F5IV-V, ~1.5 M☉) + Procyon B (white dwarf, ~0.6 M☉)

Orbit

Mutual orbit: ~40.8 years, ~15 AU apart on average

Planets

Confirmed planets: None

How we know

Note: No planets are confirmed. Procyon B is a genuine white dwarf — its high mass and Earth-like size are measured. No white dwarf's surface has ever been imaged. The map position is symbolic; the real distance is 11.46 light-years.

Discovery & history

Method: Naked-eye star
Name: 'Procyon' is Greek for 'before the dog' — it rises just before Sirius. It is Alpha Canis Minoris, the Lesser Dog.

Known since antiquity as the herald of Sirius; its white-dwarf companion, predicted by Bessel in 1844, was first seen by Schaeberle in 1896.

Images

Where to find it — in Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog (IAU constellation chart). It is an unresolved point of light; its surface has never been imaged. — IAU / Sky & Telescope, R. Sinnott & R. Fienberg (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Images from open archives · credit shown per image