Star profile
16 Lacerta
Variable starWhat is 16 Lacerta
16 Lacertae —catalogued as EN Lacertae— is one of the classic prototypes of the Beta Cephei variables: a massive blue star that pulses several times a day from instabilities deep within. It belongs to a triple system, with the main binary eclipsing every 12.1 days, discovered in 1910 by Oliver J. Lee at Yerkes Observatory. Its light, after 1,274 years on the road, carries a seismic soundtrack that astronomers «listen to» through asteroseismology.
Where it is and when to see it
16 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 80° up.
- From New York it culminates about 89° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 14° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 48° S.
It ranks no. 22 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 16 Lacerta
- Constellation
- Lacerta
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.60
- Distance
- 1274.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 344.098° · Dec 41.604°
- Catalogue
- HIP 113281 · HD 216916
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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 1095215.38
- HIP 1127315.43
- HIP 1097455.53
- HIP 1098315.72
- HIP 1113625.72