Star profile
Alpha Chamaeleon
What is Alpha Chamaeleon
Alpha Chamaeleontis is the principal light of the Chameleon, a small constellation charted by the navigators Pieter Keyser and Frederick de Houtman on their return from the East Indies in 1597. A yellow-white type F star roughly 64 light-years away, it is among the nearest in the far southern repertoire. Its quiet, steady light marks the polar sky known only to austral sailors and inhabitants of the southern hemisphere.
Where it is and when to see it
Alpha Chamaeleon lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is May, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 47° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 13° N.
It is the brightest of the 19 stars of Chamaeleon in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.
The light you see today left it about 64 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Alpha Chamaeleon
- Constellation
- Chamaeleon
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.05
- Distance
- 63.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 124.631° · Dec -76.920°
- Catalogue
- HIP 40702 · HD 71243
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Chamaeleon
Chamaeleon has 19 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Gamma Chamaeleon4.11
- Beta Chamaeleon4.24
- Theta Chamaeleon4.34
- Delta 2 Chamaeleon4.45
- Epsilon Chamaeleon4.88
- Kappa Chamaeleon5.04
- Zeta Chamaeleon5.07
- Iota Chamaeleon5.34