Star profile

Alzirr

Xi Geminorum · Gemini

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

What is Alzirr

Alzirr, xi Geminorum, marks the foot of one of the celestial twins Castor and Pollux. A yellow-white F-class star at only 58.7 light-years, she is close enough to be studied in detail from ground-based telescopes. Her name comes from the Arabic «al-zirr», 'the button', a minuscule detail in the mythic garments of the sons of Zeus.

Where it is and when to see it

Alzirr lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 51° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 62° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 43° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 77° S.

It ranks no. 8 in brightness among the 74 stars of Gemini in our catalogue. To find it, start from Pollux, the brightest: it lies about 21° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 59 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on Alzirr

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.

Write my signature

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 Alzirr

Constellation: Gemini
Apparent magnitude: 3.35
Distance: 58.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 101.322° · Dec 12.896°
Catalogue: HIP 32362 · HD 48737

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

Other stars in Gemini

Gemini has 74 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 74 stars in Gemini