Phoenix

By BrightK self-checked Published 2026-09-04 Updated 2026-10-18 Editorial policy

• Constellations
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What is Phoenix?

Constellations· Autumn evenings on the southern horizon (N) · between Achernar and Fomalhaut. Phoenix depicts the legendary bird that burns and rises again from its ashes. From New York only its northern part, including its alpha star Ankaa, briefly appears low on the southern horizon on autumn evenings; from London it never rises.

Stars of the figure

The 1 brightest of the 3 stars used in the figure (2 lines). Lower magnitude means brighter.

Deep-sky objects near this constellation

Constellation basics

Figures are representative approximations. Source: compiled from NASA and IAU public data.

The star in Phoenix that carries traces of the first stars

When the universe began, there were almost no heavy elements besides hydrogen and helium. Elements such as iron and carbon were made later inside stars and spread into space when those stars died. So the fewer heavy elements a star has, the earlier in cosmic history it probably formed. In 2002 such a star, HE 0107-5240, was found about 36,000 light-years away in the direction of Phoenix.

It contains only about one two-hundred-thousandth as much iron as the Sun. At the time of its discovery, no known star had fewer heavy elements. Astronomers think it is a second-generation star, born directly from material left by the explosions of the very first stars. Stars slightly lighter than the Sun burn their fuel slowly and live a very long time, which is why it still shines today.

Compared with its iron, the star holds an unusually large amount of carbon. Researchers study this as a clue that the first stars may have made and scattered a lot of carbon. A star like this is a kind of fossil that keeps the ingredients of the early universe almost unchanged. The constellation of the bird reborn from ashes holds a star born from the ashes of the first stars.

The constellation in depth

Phoenix is the largest of the twelve new southern constellations Petrus Plancius created in 1598. In legend the phoenix lives for centuries, then burns itself up and is reborn from its ashes. Before the constellation existed, Arab astronomers saw these same stars as a large boat. The name of its brightest star, Ankaa, comes from the Arabic word for the phoenix.

Ankaa is an orange giant of magnitude 2.4. Zeta Phoenicis is an eclipsing pair: two stars orbit each other and one passes in front of the other, so the light dips about every 1.7 days. A telescope reveals more distant sights too. In this direction lie Robert's Quartet, four galaxies in the middle of colliding, and El Gordo, one of the most massive galaxy clusters yet observed.

Phoenix can also produce a meteor shower in early December. It was first seen in 1956 from South Africa and elsewhere, then was hardly seen for decades before returning weakly in 2014. Meteors like these are tiny bits of dust left behind by a comet, burning up as they enter Earth's air. How many meteors appear changes a great deal from year to year, so the shower is hard to predict.

On October–November evenings, find the bright star Fomalhaut in the south and look to its lower left, near the horizon, for Ankaa. From New York Ankaa climbs only about 7 degrees at best, and from London it never rises, so an open southern view is needed. Most of the constellation stays below the horizon, and the whole figure is a southern-hemisphere sight.

Frequently asked

When can I see Phoenix?

Phoenix is best seen in autumn evenings on the southern horizon (N) · spring (S).

How do I find Phoenix?

To find Phoenix, look for south-east of Fomalhaut, north-west of Achernar.

What is the brightest star in Phoenix?

The brightest star in Phoenix is Ankaa, at magnitude 2.4.

Related

Figures are representative approximations. Simulated positions use J2000 mean elements.