Star profile
Alpha Antliae
What is Alpha Antliae
Alpha Antliae is the chief light of the Air Pump, the modest constellation Lacaille traced in honour of Boyle's vacuum pump. It is an orange giant on the asymptotic branch, forty-one times the radius of the Sun; one day —millions of years from now— it will end its life as a Mira variable, pulsating with enormous amplitude before fading.
Where it is and when to see it
Alpha Antliae 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 culminates about 7° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 18° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 87° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 59° N.
It is the brightest of the 23 stars of Antlia 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 370 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on Alpha Antliae
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 Alpha Antliae
- Constellation
- Antlia
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.28
- Distance
- 366.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 156.788° · Dec -31.068°
- Catalogue
- HIP 51172 · HD 90610
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Antlia
Antlia has 23 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Epsilon Antliae4.51
- Iota Antliae4.60
- Theta Antliae4.78
- Eta Antliae5.23
- HIP 508885.34
- HIP 541735.43
- HIP 465785.49
- HIP 518215.50