Star profile

Alpha Horologium

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Alpha Horologium

Alpha Horologii presides over a late, sparsely populated constellation, drafted by Lacaille in the eighteenth century to honour the pendulum clock. It is the chief beacon of a quiet southern region —an orange K-type giant whose light takes 115 years to reach Earth. Its warm hue stands out against the dark backdrop of a celestial corner where almost no bright stars rival it.

Where it is and when to see it

Alpha Horologium lies in the southern 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 rises above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 7° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 82° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 48° N.

It is the brightest of the 18 stars of Horologium 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 120 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Alpha Horologium

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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 Alpha Horologium

Constellation: Horologium
Apparent magnitude: 3.85
Distance: 115.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 63.500° · Dec -42.294°
Catalogue: HIP 19747 · HD 26967

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

Other stars in Horologium

Horologium has 18 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 18 stars in Horologium