Star profile

Mirfak

Alpha Persei · Perseus

Highly luminous star

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

What is Mirfak

Mirfak rules Perseus from 506 light-years away, a luminous yellow class-F giant whose brilliance lights up an entire young stellar association around it. Its name comes from the Arabic «Mirfaq al-Thurayya», the elbow of the Pleiades, marking the exact spot where the hero raises his arm in the old sky-drawing. The light reaching us tonight left its atmosphere while Philip II was finishing the Escorial.

Where it is and when to see it

Mirfak 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 88° up.
From New York it never sets and culminates about 81° up.
From Sydney it culminates about 6° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 40° S.

It is the brightest of the 99 stars of Perseus in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.

The light you see today left it about 510 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Mirfak

Constellation: Perseus
Apparent magnitude: 1.79
Distance: 506.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 51.081° · Dec 49.861°
Catalogue: HIP 15863 · HD 20902

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