Star profile

Rho Persei

Variable star

3D likeness based on its real data · class M · ~3,200 K

What is Rho Persei

Rho Persei is a cool red giant of spectral type M that pulses slowly, drifting between magnitudes 3.3 and 4. A close neighbour of Algol —the famous «demon star»— it forms a striking chromatic contrast with it: the dim ember of an aging star set against the blue-white glare of an eclipsing binary. Its light takes a little over three centuries to reach us.

Where it is and when to see it

Rho 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 77° up.
From New York it culminates about 88° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 17° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 51° S.

It ranks no. 7 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 310 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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

Leave your signature on Rho 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.

Write my signature

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 Persei

Constellation: Perseus
Apparent magnitude: 3.32
Distance: 307.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 46.294° · Dec 38.840°
Catalogue: HIP 14354 · HD 19058

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