Star profile
Alsephina
Delta Velorum · Vela
Variable starWhat is Alsephina
Alsephina burns 80.6 light-years away in Vela, a white class-A star whose brightness pulses with subtle variability, as though breathing. Its name, recovered from the Arabic «al-safina», recalls the great Argo, the mythical ship that carried Jason to the Golden Fleece before modern cartographers split it into keel, sail and stern. As a variable star, looking twice at different moments literally means not seeing the same light.
Where it is and when to see it
Alsephina lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is March, 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 culminates about 69° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 35° N.
It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 127 stars of Vela in our catalogue. To find it, start from Gamma 2 Velorum, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 81 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on Alsephina
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.
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 Alsephina
- Constellation
- Vela
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.93
- Distance
- 80.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 131.176° · Dec -54.709°
- Catalogue
- HIP 42913 · HD 74956
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Vela
Vela has 127 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Gamma 2 Velorum1.75
- SuhailLambda Velorum2.23
- MarkebKappa Velorum2.47
- Mu Velorum2.69
- HIP 467013.16
- Phi Velorum3.52
- Omicron Velorum3.60
- Psi Velorum3.60