Star profile
Mothallah
Alpha Triangulum · Triangulum
Variable starWhat is Mothallah
Mothallah is the alpha of Triangulum, one of the smallest and most ancient constellations, already catalogued by Ptolemy in the second century. Its Arabic name, «Al-Muthallath», simply means «the triangle», naming both the figure and its leading star. At 63 light-years, it is a gentle F-type variable: a yellow-white flame whose brightness shifts almost imperceptibly. In the same patch of sky lies an entire spiral galaxy, M33, neighbour of Andromeda and silent witness to the flow of cosmic time.
Where it is and when to see it
Mothallah lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is October: 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 Mothallah
- Constellation
- Triangulum
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.42
- Distance
- 63.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 28.270° · Dec 29.579°
- Catalogue
- HIP 8796 · HD 11443
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Triangulum
Triangulum has 18 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Beta Triangulum3.00
- Gamma Triangulum4.03
- Delta Triangulum4.84
- 6 Triangulum4.94
- 14 Triangulum5.15
- 7 Triangulum5.25
- 10 Triangulum5.29
- 12 Triangulum5.29