Star profile
Errai
Gamma Cepheus · Cepheus
Nearby starWhat is Errai
Errai is a bright neighbour just 46 light-years away, an orange K-type giant in the constellation of Cepheus. Owing to Earth's slow axial wobble, in some two thousand years it will take over from Polaris as the pole star of the northern hemisphere: future stellar compasses will seek it instead. Its Arabic name, «Ar-Rā‘ī», means «the shepherd», and it keeps watch from the circumpolar sky while around it a small retinue of stars sketches the crowned head of the Ethiopian king.
Where it is and when to see it
Errai lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is November, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 64° up.
- From New York it never sets and culminates about 53° up.
- From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 12° S.
It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 95 stars of Cepheus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alderamin, the brightest: it lies about 19° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 46 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Errai
- Constellation
- Cepheus
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.21
- Distance
- 46.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 354.837° · Dec 77.632°
- Catalogue
- HIP 116727 · HD 222404
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.
- AlderaminAlpha Cepheus2.45
- AlfirkBeta Cepheus3.23
- Zeta Cepheus3.39
- Eta Cepheus3.41
- Iota Cepheus3.50
- Delta Cepheus4.07
- Epsilon Cepheus4.18
- Theta Cepheus4.21