Star profile
Almaaz
Epsilon Aurigae · Auriga
Variable starWhat is Almaaz
Almaaz is one of the most enigmatic stars known —a yellowish variable in Auriga, 2,132 light-years away, that fades for almost two full years every twenty-seven. Astronomers took more than a century to understand that a dark disc of dust, perhaps with a companion embedded inside, drifts between us and its light. When this beam set out, Rome was falling and the Middle Ages were beginning in Europe.
Where it is and when to see it
Almaaz lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is December: 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 Almaaz
- Constellation
- Auriga
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.03
- Distance
- 2132.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 75.492° · Dec 43.823°
- Catalogue
- HIP 23416 · HD 31964
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Auriga
Auriga has 76 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- CapellaAlpha Aurigae0.08
- HYG 1183600.96
- MenkalinanBeta Aurigae1.90
- MahasimTheta Aurigae2.65
- HassalehIota Aurigae2.69
- HaedusEta Aurigae3.18
- SaclateniZeta Aurigae3.69
- Delta Aurigae3.72