Star lore
Peacock
Direct answer
Peacock is Alpha Pavonis, a hot blue-white spectroscopic binary and the brightest star in Pavo.
Peacock is the bright named star at the head of the southern Peacock.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Constellations & Star Lore
- Related
- Nunki, Alnair, Avior, Little Dipper
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The story behind Peacock
The English proper name was coined for navigational use and is now approved by the IAU.
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The Road of the Sun
Where the twelve signs came from, and why they carry the names they do.
Why Peacock matters
Peacock’s clear southern position made it useful enough for twentieth-century navigational almanacs to assign a practical proper name.
How to read Peacock
Find Peacock between Indus and Telescopium, then trace Pavo southward toward Octans.
Peacock in practice: an example
Spectroscopy reveals orbital motion in a system that unaided eyes perceive as one blue-white point.
Where readings of Peacock go wrong
Not every familiar-looking proper name is ancient; Peacock has a documented modern navigation origin.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- IAU Division C Working Group on Star Names - Official IAU working group responsible for standardizing star names used in international astronomy.
- CDS SIMBAD Astronomical Database - Professional astronomical database for stellar identifiers, positions, classifications, and bibliography.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Constellations & Star Lore
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
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Common questions
What is Peacock?
Peacock is Alpha Pavonis, a hot blue-white spectroscopic binary and the brightest star in Pavo.
What do people get wrong about Peacock?
Not every familiar-looking proper name is ancient; Peacock has a documented modern navigation origin.
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