Star profile

Alpha 1 Librae

3D likeness based on its real data · class F · ~6,500 K

What is Alpha 1 Librae

Alpha-1 Librae is the fainter component of the double system marking one pan of the Scales, some seventy-five light-years away. Together with its brighter sister Alpha-2 it forms a pair easily split in binoculars, giving observers one of the most accessible doubles in the spring sky. Its calm white light underlines the border between Virgo and Scorpius that the ancients once called the claws of the scorpion.

Where it is and when to see it

Alpha 1 Librae lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is May, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 23° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 33° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 72° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 74° N.

It ranks no. 19 in brightness among the 49 stars of Libra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Zubeneschamali, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 75 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Alpha 1 Librae

Constellation: Libra
Apparent magnitude: 5.15
Distance: 75.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 222.672° · Dec -15.997°
Catalogue: HIP 72603 · HD 130819

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Other stars in Libra

Libra has 49 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 49 stars in Libra