Star profile
Menkalinan
Beta Aurigae · Auriga
Variable starWhat is Menkalinan
Menkalinan means «the shoulder of the rein-holder», a tribute to the mythical charioteer of Auriga. It is a variable star: two suns so close they eclipse each other every four days, dimming in a regular blink first noticed in the late nineteenth century. At 81 light-years, its white light reached our night sky when Europe's earliest radios were learning to speak.
Where it is and when to see it
Menkalinan 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, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 83° up.
- From New York it culminates about 86° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 11° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 45° S.
It ranks no. 3 in brightness among the 76 stars of Auriga in our catalogue. To find it, start from Capella, the brightest: it lies about 8° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 81 years ago.
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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 Menkalinan
- Constellation
- Auriga
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.90
- Distance
- 81.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 89.882° · Dec 44.947°
- Catalogue
- HIP 28360 · HD 40183
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
- MahasimTheta Aurigae2.65
- HassalehIota Aurigae2.69
- AlmaazEpsilon Aurigae3.03
- HaedusEta Aurigae3.18
- SaclateniZeta Aurigae3.69
- Delta Aurigae3.72