Star profile
Elgafar
Phi Virginis · Virgo
What is Elgafar
Elgafar is a yellow star in the constellation of the Maiden, 118 light-years away, similar to the Sun but somewhat larger and older. Its name comes from the Arabic «al-ghafr», designating a historical lunar mansion used by medieval astronomers to divide the sky into stations. It is one of those lights that go unnoticed, yet for centuries served to mark days and nights without a clock.
Where it is and when to see it
Elgafar lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is April: 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 Elgafar
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.81
- Distance
- 118.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 217.051° · Dec -2.228°
- Catalogue
- HIP 70755 · HD 126868
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Virgo
Virgo has 99 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- SpicaAlpha Virginis0.98
- PorrimaGamma Virginis2.74
- VindemiatrixEpsilon Virginis2.85
- 69 Virginis4.76
- Psi Virginis4.77
- Sigma Virginis4.78
- Xi Virginis4.84
- Rho Virginis4.88