Star profile
Rho 2 Arietis
Variable starWhat is Rho 2 Arietis
Rho-2 Arietis is a variable red giant that pulsates slowly inside zodiacal Aries, the constellation that traditionally opens the wheel of the zodiac signs. Its brightness is not constant: it varies on long timescales while the star, an aged M-type body, slowly sheds its outer layers and edges towards the end of its existence. The light arriving tonight set out 351 years ago, when Louis XIV still reigned in France, the Sun King who commissioned the building of Versailles.
Where it is and when to see it
Rho 2 Arietis 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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 Rho 2 Arietis
- Constellation
- Aries
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.76
- Distance
- 351.5 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 43.952° · Dec 18.332°
- Catalogue
- HIP 13654 · HD 18191
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Aries
Aries has 57 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- HamalAlpha Arietis2.01
- SheratanBeta Arietis2.64
- Bharani3.61
- 19 Arietis5.72
- Mu Arietis5.74
- 55 Arietis5.74
- 7 Arietis5.76
- Omicron Arietis5.78