Star profile
42 Lynx
What is 42 Lynx
42 Lyncis shines within a constellation well named the Lynx, since it takes lynx-like sight to pick out its stars, nearly all of them faint. It is a white-yellow F-class star about one hundred and twenty-two light-years away, relatively close within a sky otherwise filled with distant lights. The constellation itself was introduced by Hevelius in the seventeenth century to fill a gap between Auriga and Ursa Major.
Where it is and when to see it
42 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 never sets and culminates about 79° up.
- From New York it culminates about 90° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 16° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 50° S.
It ranks no. 20 in brightness among the 60 stars of Lynx in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Lynx, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 120 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on 42 Lynx
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 42 Lynx
- Constellation
- Lynx
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.28
- Distance
- 122.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 144.591° · Dec 40.240°
- Catalogue
- HIP 47300 · HD 83287
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