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Star profile

Athebyne

Eta Draco · Draco

3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is Athebyne

Athebyne is a yellow giant in Draco, 92 light-years away, similar in colour to our Sun but far older and bulkier. Its name comes from the Arabic «al-thiʿbān», the serpent, and belongs to the sinuous body coiling around the celestial north pole. Looking at Athebyne is glimpsing an aged Sun, a slow preview of what awaits ours five billion years from now.

Where it is and when to see it

Athebyne lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is April, when it culminates around midnight.

  • From London it never sets and culminates about 80° up.
  • From New York it never sets and culminates about 69° up.
  • From Sydney it never rises above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 28° S.

It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 122 stars of Draco in our catalogue. To find it, start from Eltanin, the brightest: it lies about 16° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 92 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on Athebyne

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.

Write my signature

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 Athebyne

Constellation
Draco
Apparent magnitude
2.73
Distance
92.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 245.998° · Dec 61.514°
Catalogue
HIP 80331 · HD 148387

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Draco

Draco has 122 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 122 stars in Draco