Star profile
Markeb
Kappa Velorum · Vela
Hot blue starWhat is Markeb
Markeb is a blue class-B star in the constellation Vela, lying 572 light-years away. Its cool hue and steady glow make it recognisable as one of the cardinal points of the old Argo, the celestial ship of which Vela was the wind-filled sail. The name derives from the Arabic «al-markab», the vessel or vehicle, the same root that produced Markab in Pegasus. Tonight's photons set out while the bonfires of the Renaissance were still burning.
Where it is and when to see it
Markeb 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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 Markeb
- Constellation
- Vela
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.47
- Distance
- 572.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 140.528° · Dec -55.011°
- Catalogue
- HIP 45941 · HD 81188
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
- AlsephinaDelta Velorum1.93
- SuhailLambda Velorum2.23
- Mu Velorum2.69
- HIP 467013.16
- Phi Velorum3.52
- Omicron Velorum3.60
- Psi Velorum3.60