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Star profile

Aljanah

Epsilon Cygni · Cygnus

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Aljanah

Aljanah means 'the wing' in Arabic and traces the eastern wing of the Swan as it glides with outstretched feathers along the broad river of the Milky Way. It is a calm, cool orange K-type giant lying just over 72 light-years away, close enough that its colour is unmistakable on a dark night. Its soft amber light arrives tonight after a journey that began around 1953, at the dawn of the space age.

Where it is and when to see it

Aljanah lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is August, when it culminates around midnight.

  • From London it culminates about 72° above the horizon.
  • From New York it culminates about 83° above the horizon.
  • From Sydney it culminates about 22° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 56° S.

It ranks no. 3 in brightness among the 137 stars of Cygnus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Deneb, the brightest: it lies about 11° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 73 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Aljanah

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Write my signature

A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for Aljanah

Constellation
Cygnus
Apparent magnitude
2.48
Distance
72.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 311.553° · Dec 33.970°
Catalogue
HIP 102488 · HD 197989

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Cygnus

Cygnus has 137 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 137 stars in Cygnus