Editing Canopus (section)

==Distance==
Before the launch of the [[Hipparcos]] satellite telescope, distance estimates for Canopus varied widely, from 96 [[light-year]]s to 1200 light-years (or 30 to 370 parsecs). For example, an old distance estimate of 200 parsecs (652 light years) gave it a luminosity of {{solar luminosity|80,000}},<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/stream/Galaxy_v23n06_1965-08#page/n129/mode/2up | title=Galaxy v23n06 (1965 08) }}</ref> far higher than modern estimates.<ref name=vlti>{{cite journal|bibcode=2013MNRAS.434..437C|arxiv=1306.3288|title=Fundamental parameters of 16 late-type stars derived from their angular diameter measured with VLTI/AMBER|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|volume=434|issue=1|pages=437–450|last1=Cruzalèbes|first1=P.|last2=Jorissen|first2=A.|last3=Rabbia|first3=Y.|last4=Sacuto|first4=S.|last5=Chiavassa|first5=A.|last6=Pasquato|first6=E.|last7=Plez|first7=B.|last8=Eriksson|first8=K.|last9=Spang|first9=A.|last10=Chesneau|first10=O.|year=2013|doi=10.1093/mnras/stt1037|doi-access=free |s2cid=49573767}}</ref> The closer distance was derived from parallax measurements of around {{val|33|ul=mas}}.<ref name=vandekamp1943>{{cite journal |title=Note on the Parallax of Canopus|journal=Popular Astronomy |volume=51 |date=1943 |page=172 |last=van de Kamp |first=Peter|bibcode=1943PA.....51..172V }}</ref>  The larger distance derives from the assumption of a very bright [[absolute magnitude]] for Canopus.<ref name=vanzyl>{{cite book|author=J.E. van Zyl|title=Unveiling the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cj7uBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA184|date=6 December 2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4471-1037-8|pages=184–}}</ref>

Hipparcos established Canopus as being {{val|310|u=light-years}} ({{val|95|ul=parsecs}}) from the [[Solar System]]; this is based on its 2007 [[parallax]] measurement of {{Val|10.43|0.53|ul=mas}}.<ref name="van Leeuwen2007"/>  At 95 parsecs, the [[interstellar extinction]] for Canopus is low at 0.26 magnitudes.<ref name=DomicianoDeSouza/>  Canopus is too bright to be included in the normal observation runs of the [[Gaia satellite]] and there is no published Gaia parallax for it.<ref name=dr2>{{cite DR2}}</ref>

At present the star is drifting further away from the Sun with a [[radial velocity]] of 20&nbsp;km/s. Some 3.1&nbsp;million years ago it made the closest approach to the Sun at a distance of about {{convert|52.87|pc|ly|0|adj=ri0|order=flip|abbr=on|lk=off}}. Canopus is orbiting the Milky Way with a heliocentric velocity of 24.5&nbsp;km/s and a low [[orbital eccentricity|eccentricity]] of 0.065.<ref name=Anderson2012>{{citation | last1=Anderson | first1=E. | last2=Francis | first2=Ch. | title=XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation | journal=Astronomy Letters | volume=38 | issue=5 | pages=331 | year=2012 | bibcode=2012AstL...38..331A | arxiv=1108.4971 | doi=10.1134/S1063773712050015 | s2cid=119257644 | postscript=. }}</ref>