Star profile
Alderamin
Alpha Cepheus · Cepheus
Nearby starWhat is Alderamin
Alderamin, «the right arm» in Arabic, rests in the constellation of King Cepheus, near the northern celestial pole. Only 49 light years away, it is a white A-class star spinning at a furious pace, completing a rotation in less than half an Earth day. Because of Earth's slow axial drift, in about 5500 years it will become the northern pole star.
Where it is and when to see it
Alderamin lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is October, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 79° up.
- From New York it never sets and culminates about 68° up.
- From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 27° S.
It is the brightest of the 95 stars of Cepheus in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.
The light you see today left it about 49 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Alderamin
- Constellation
- Cepheus
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.45
- Distance
- 49.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 319.644° · Dec 62.586°
- Catalogue
- HIP 105199 · HD 203280
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Cepheus
Cepheus has 95 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- ErraiGamma Cepheus3.21
- AlfirkBeta Cepheus3.23
- Zeta Cepheus3.39
- Eta Cepheus3.41
- Iota Cepheus3.50
- Delta Cepheus4.07
- Epsilon Cepheus4.18
- Theta Cepheus4.21