Star profile
48 Aurigae
Variable starWhat is 48 Aurigae
48 Aurigae is a Cepheid variable in the Charioteer, one of those pulsating stars whose rhythm allows astronomers to gauge vast distances across the universe. Its brightness shifts on a regular cycle of a few days, swelling and contracting like a cosmic heart. F-type, yellowish, it serves as a calibration beacon far beyond its modest visual appearance.
Where it is and when to see it
48 Aurigae 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 48 Aurigae
- Constellation
- Auriga
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.75
- Distance
- 326200.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 97.142° · Dec 30.493°
- Catalogue
- HIP 30827 · HD 45412
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
- 51 Aurigae5.70
- 36 Aurigae5.71
- HIP 263445.74
- 53 Aurigae5.76
- 41 Aurigae5.78