La Superba
Scientific overview
La Superba is a star in the constellation Canes Venatici (Canum Venaticorum), lying about 1,045.4 light-years from Earth.
Class C (carbon star). Cool carbon stars — evolved red giants whose atmospheres hold more carbon than oxygen, giving them a striking deep-red, ruby colour. Such stars have surface temperatures around ≤ 3,200 K and appear deep red to the eye.
Physical properties
| Spectral type | C7Iab |
| Luminosity class | Iab |
| Apparent magnitude | 5.42 |
| Absolute magnitude | -2.11 |
| Luminosity (Sun = 1) | 608 |
| Colour index (B−V) | 2.994 |
| Distance | 1,045.4 ly (320.51 pc) |
Values are real catalogue data; fields without a reliable value are omitted, never estimated.
Precision measurements
Astrometry and astrophysics from SIMBAD and Gaia DR3 · Gaia DR3 1542553623374596352 · elevated RUWE
| Parallax | 3.2222 ± 0.1744 mas | SIMBAD · measured |
| Distance | 314.1 pc | Gaia · estimated |
| Proper motion (RA) | -2.968 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (Dec) | 13.063 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Radial velocity | 15.3 ± 0.4 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Spectral type | C-N5 | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 191.3 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 45.4403 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Parallax: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · plx_value · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Distance: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia EDR3 · Bailer-Jones (2021) · external.gaiaedr3_distance · r_med_geo · row 1542553623374596352 · Bayesian estimate · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (RA): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (Dec): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmdec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2006AstL...32..759G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Spectral type: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · sp_type · 1993PASP..105..905K · catalogue identifier/value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
measured = direct catalogue value · estimated = Bayesian inference (Bailer-Jones distance) · modeled = model output (Gaia GSP-Phot). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Location in the sky
Knowledge connections
- In constellationCanes Venatici
Related stars in Canes Venatici
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- HYG DatabaseHYG Database (Hipparcos + Yale Bright Star + Gliese), by D. Nash / astronexus
Aggregated, openly-licensed star catalogue combining Hipparcos, the Yale Bright Star Catalogue, and the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.
- HipparcosESA Hipparcos space astrometry mission
High-precision parallax, magnitude, and position for ~118,000 stars.