Star profile
Mesarthim
Gamma 2 Arietis · Aries
Variable starWhat is Mesarthim
Mesarthim, together with Sheratan, formed in antiquity the 'two signs' that opened the astronomical year as the Sun entered Aries at the spring equinox. In 1664 Robert Hooke observed it almost by chance through a telescope and found it to be a double star — one of the very first binaries identified in the history of astronomy. Its faintly variable white light travels 164 light-years to reach tonight and the eye of the observer.
Where it is and when to see it
Mesarthim 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 Mesarthim
- Constellation
- Aries
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.88
- Distance
- 164.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 28.383° · Dec 19.294°
- Catalogue
- HIP 8832 · HD 11502
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Aries
Aries has 57 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- HamalAlpha Arietis2.01
- SheratanBeta Arietis2.64
- Bharani3.61
- BoteinDelta Arietis4.35
- HIP 155494.47
- Lilii Borea4.52
- Epsilon Arietis4.63
- 35 Arietis4.65