Star profile
Zubenelgenubi
Alpha 2 Librae · Libra
What is Zubenelgenubi
Zubenelgenubi — the «southern claw» — keeps the name it bore when Libra was not yet a scale but part of the Scorpion. It is a white star a mere 76 light-years away, among the closest of the bright zodiacal stars. When Greek astronomers rebranded the constellation as the Balance, the old claw remained suspended in the sky under its original Arabic name, a quiet witness to how constellations shift identity over time.
Where it is and when to see it
Zubenelgenubi 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 22° 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. 2 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 76 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Zubenelgenubi
- Constellation
- Libra
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.75
- Distance
- 75.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 222.720° · Dec -16.042°
- Catalogue
- HIP 72622 · HD 130841
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Libra
Libra has 49 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- ZubeneschamaliBeta Librae2.61
- BrachiumSigma Librae3.25
- Upsilon Librae3.60
- Tau Librae3.66
- ZubenelhakrabiGamma Librae3.91
- Theta Librae4.13
- 16 Librae4.47
- Iota 1 Librae4.54