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Star profile

12 Persei

3D likeness based on its real data · class F · ~6,500 K

What is 12 Persei

12 Persei is a yellow-white F-type star 79 light-years away, close enough for its parallax to have been measured cleanly by the Hipparcos mission. It outshines the Sun a little, yet keeps the architecture of quiet suns. It belongs to the stellar backdrop of Perseus, the hero who, in the northern winter sky, holds aloft the masked head of Medusa.

Where it is and when to see it

12 Persei 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 79° up.
  • From New York it culminates about 89° 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. 34 in brightness among the 99 stars of Perseus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Mirfak, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 79 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on 12 Persei

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.

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 12 Persei

Constellation
Perseus
Apparent magnitude
4.91
Distance
78.9 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 40.562° · Dec 40.194°
Catalogue
HIP 12623 · HD 16739

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

Other stars in Perseus

Perseus has 99 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 99 stars in Perseus