Magnitude 5.02 | ||
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Similar Omicron Sagittarii, Sagittarius, Chi Sagittarii | ||
The Bayer designation Xi Sagittarii (Xi Sgr, ξ Sagittarii, ξ Sgr) is shared by two stars, ξ¹ Sagittarii and ξ² Sagittarii, in the constellation Sagittarius, separated by 0.46° in the sky. Because they are close to the ecliptic, they can be occulted by the Moon and, very rarely, by planets. The last occultation of ξ² Sagittarii by a planet took place on 22 December 1810, when it was occulted by Venus.
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ξ¹ Sagittarii
Xi¹ Sagittarii (Xi¹ Sgr, ξ¹ Sagittarii, ξ¹ Sgr) is a spectral type B9.5 supergiant which has an apparent magnitude of +5.08. It is at least 2300 light years from Earth.
ξ² Sagittarii
Xi² Sagittarii (Xi² Sgr, ξ² Sagittarii, ξ² Sgr) is a spectral type G8 or K0 giant which has an apparent magnitude of +3.52. It is 372 light years from Earth.
Naming
In Chinese, 建 (Jiàn), meaning Establishment, refers to an asterism consisting of ξ² Sagittarii, ο Sagittarii, π Sagittarii, 43 Sagittarii, ρ¹ Sagittarii and υ Sagittarii. Consequently, ξ² Sagittarii itself is known as 建一 (Jiàn yī, English: the First Star of Establishment.)