Star profile
Alpha Lynx
Cool red starWhat is Alpha Lynx
Alpha Lyncis is the only star of Lynx the Greek alphabet bothered to label; the rest of the constellation is a hunting ground of faint glimmers said to require lynx eyes to discern. It is a red giant swollen to nearly sixty solar radii, burning with the calm orange glow of a sun that has long since exhausted its hydrogen.
Where it is and when to see it
Alpha 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 February, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 73° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 84° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 22° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 56° S.
It is the brightest of the 60 stars of Lynx 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 200 years ago.
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Leave your signature on Alpha 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 Alpha Lynx
- Constellation
- Lynx
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.14
- Distance
- 203.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 140.264° · Dec 34.393°
- Catalogue
- HIP 45860 · HD 80493
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