Star profile
12 Lacerta
Variable starWhat is 12 Lacerta
12 Lacertae has been under scrutiny for over a century: in 1912 W. S. Adams found its radial velocity shifting, and by 1919 its brightness was confirmed to vary too. It is now classified as a hybrid Beta Cephei pulsator, a jewel of asteroseismology, where astronomers «listen» to its oscillations to map its interior. A young, massive star —just 22 million years old— sitting 1,342 light-years away in the small constellation of the Lizard.
Where it is and when to see it
12 Lacerta lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 79° up.
- From New York it culminates about 90° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 16° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 50° S.
It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 36 stars of Lacerta in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Lacerta, the brightest: it lies about 10° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 1,300 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 12 Lacerta
- Constellation
- Lacerta
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.25
- Distance
- 1342.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 340.369° · Dec 40.225°
- Catalogue
- HIP 112031 · HD 214993
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Other stars in Lacerta
Lacerta has 36 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Lacerta3.76
- 1 Lacerta4.14
- 5 Lacerta4.34
- HIP 1091025.09
- HIP 1117955.11
- 13 Lacerta5.11
- HIP 1133275.34
- HIP 1095215.38