Star profile
Alsciaukat
31 Lynx · Lynx
Variable starWhat is Alsciaukat
Alsciaukat lives in Lynx, a constellation so faint that the astronomer Hevelius named it that way claiming it could only be seen «with lynx eyes». An orange giant variable 382 light-years away, its name comes from the Arabic «al-shawkah», the thorn. It belongs to that lineage of pulsating stars whose brightness changes with astronomical patience, without sudden shocks, as they spend their nuclear fuel.
Where it is and when to see it
Alsciaukat 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 never sets and culminates about 82° up.
- From New York it culminates about 88° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 13° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 47° S.
It ranks no. 4 in brightness among the 60 stars of Lynx in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Lynx, the brightest: it lies about 14° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 380 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 Alsciaukat
- Constellation
- Lynx
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.25
- Distance
- 382.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 125.709° · Dec 43.188°
- Catalogue
- HIP 41075 · HD 70272
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Other stars in Lynx
Lynx has 60 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
See all 60 stars in Lynx