Star profile
Alruba
What is Alruba
Alruba shines white at 533 light-years from the Earth, in the constellation Draco, one of the oldest constellations of the northern hemisphere sky. Its Arabic name means «the filly»: an image of a young, swift, wild animal applied with a certain irony to a distant, modest star with no major visible changes across the long stretch of recorded observation. The light now crossing the European sky left the star when the Catholic Monarchs were preparing their definitive entry into Granada, with no inkling yet that a Genoese sailor would soon offer to cross the ocean for a new route to the Indies.
Where it is and when to see it
Alruba lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is June, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 88° up.
- From New York it never sets and culminates about 77° up.
- From Sydney it culminates about 2° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 36° S.
It ranks no. 96 in brightness among the 122 stars of Draco in our catalogue. To find it, start from Eltanin, the brightest: it lies about 3° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 530 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on Alruba
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 Alruba
- Constellation
- Draco
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.75
- Distance
- 533.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 265.997° · Dec 53.802°
- Catalogue
- HIP 86782 · HD 161693
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.
- EltaninGamma Draco2.24
- AthebyneEta Draco2.73
- RastabanBeta Draco2.79
- HIP 913155.74
- 76 Draco5.75
- HIP 803755.75
- HIP 763765.77
- HIP 777385.81