Star profile
12 Lynx
What is 12 Lynx
12 Lyncis emerges in Lynx, a constellation so faint that Hevelius named it so because «only a lynx's eye» could trace it. This white A-type star shines 215 light-years away —hotter and intrinsically brighter than the Sun, with the clean, cool light of a young hydrogen-burning star. Finding it requires patience and a dark sky: a reward for anyone who accepts the hunter's challenge.
Where it is and when to see it
12 Lynx 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 82° up.
- From New York it never sets and culminates about 71° up.
- From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 31° S.
It ranks no. 11 in brightness among the 60 stars of Lynx in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Lynx, the brightest: it lies about 36° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 210 years ago.
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Leave your signature on 12 Lynx
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
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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 12 Lynx
- Constellation
- Lynx
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.86
- Distance
- 214.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 101.559° · Dec 59.442°
- Catalogue
- HIP 32438 · HD 48250
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Lynx
Lynx has 60 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
See all 60 stars in Lynx